The Little Rain Mermaid
by TheSavageMan100
Summary: The third of Fairy Tail's Disney Parody Series, based on The Little Mermaid. Juvia Lockser, a free spirited mermaid princess, falls in love with a human prince named Gray Fullbuster. After bravely striking a bargain with the sneaky sea witch Kyôka, an adventure of a lifetime is about to ensue. Will land and sea ever come together in harmony?
1. Fathoms Below

_I'm back, ladies and gentlemen! After receiving dozens of requests for a Little Mermaid-based story, I decided to make the third of Fairy Tail's Disney Parodies, The Little Rain Mermaid. Title says it all! Undoubtedly one of the best films in the Disney Renaissance, The Little Mermaid is the one film that started it all. Now, on to the summary!_

 _Juvia Lockser, a free spirited mermaid princess, falls in love with a human prince named Gray Fullbuster. After bravely striking a bargain with the sneaky sea witch Kyôka, an adventure of a lifetime is about to ensue. Will land and sea ever come together in harmony? (Juvia X Gray)_

 **DISCLAIMER:** All rights belong to Disney, Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and Bridge. Please support the official release.

* * *

A cool wind blew through the air and puffy grey clouds hovered above the ocean, and a small flock of seagulls cried as they glided on the breeze. They swooped down closer to the sea above three dolphins leaping in the waves. One of the gulls continued to cry as it rested on the ocean's surface, amidst the happily yapping dolphins. The four scattered as a majestic ship broke through the fog, riding on the crashing waves. Onboard the ship, a crew of sailors was working hard, swabbing the decks and catching the fish as they sang merry sea tunes.

Sailors: **_I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue,  
And it's hey to the starboard, heave-ho  
Look out lad, a mermaid be waiting for you  
In mysterious fathoms below  
Heave-ho, heave-ho…_**

A few sailors began to hoist up the sail, with the help of none other than the prince of the kingdom they called home. Gray Fullbuster, son of King Silver Fullbuster, smiled as the wind blew through his dark blue eyes. "Isn't this great? The salty sea air, the wind blowing in your face…"

His faithful grey and white sheepdog Ur barked cheerfully in agreement. Gray turned to his butler, advisor, and friend, Lyon Vastia. "A perfect day to be at sea. Out on the open, surrounded by nothing but water!" Gray added with a chuckle.

Lyon stood upright, his face green from being seasick. "Oh, yes, Gray. That's simply delightful," he replied sarcastically, before leaning back over the edge of the ship and retching.

"A fine strong wind and a following sea," a sailor named Sting Eucliffe commented, as Gray ran over to help him with one of the ropes. "King Makarov must be in a friendly mood right now."

"King Makarov?" Gray asked curiously, petting Ur. "Who's King Makarov?"

Another sailor named Rogue Cheney added, "He's the ruler of the Merpeople. They live deep under the sea in a huge kingdom named Fairylantica. When I was a kid, my dad, Skiadrum, told me stories about it."

"Hmph. Merpeople. Nothing but superstition! It's an old fish fairy tale," Lyon scoffed, making his way towards Gray.

"I'm sorry to disagree with you, Lyon," said one of the sailors, Orga Nanagear. "But the story of King Makarov and his Merpeople is a real one! I know a guy who saw a mermaid with his own eyes! She even tried to bring him down below the waves!"

Lyon looked at Orga skeptically, "If you're referring to Rufus Lore, I need to remind you he's always the one to go heavy on orange juice.

"I'm telling ya, it's the truth!" Sting argued, holding a fish in his hand up to Lyon's face. "Down in the depths of the ocean live a whole lot! And when King Makarov does his thing, oh yeah, the waves buck, rock, to and fro!"

As Sting finished his sentence, the fish slipped out of his hand and flapped briefly in Lyon's face, who yelped. The fish then fell back down into the ocean as the merry sea song concluded.

Sailors: **_Heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho_**  
 ** _In mysterious fathoms below!_**

* * *

As soon as the fish swam deeper below the surface, it looked up to where the bottom of the ship cut through the waves. It breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it was back in the ocean. The fish smiled and turned to swim towards the great undersea kingdom of Fairylantica.

Merfolk from all over Fairylantica swam towards the castle, and made their way into the grand concert hall. Merpeople, dolphins, fish, and all sorts of other sea creatures flocked into the room, taking their seats in front of the stage.

A fanfare of trumpets sounded. A small, young white seahorse with long dark blue hair tied to two ponytails swam forward and cleared her throat. The seahorse's name was Wendy Marvell. She announced, "People of Fairylantica, I present to you, His Royal Highness, King Makarov!"

A thunderous round of applause and cheers echoed through the concert hall as King Makarov entered, riding in a shell carriage pulled by three elegant dolphins. Makarov lifted his golden magical trident, and fired a blast to light an underwater chandelier.

Wendy continued, "And presenting, the distinguished court composter, Natsu Horatio Felonious Ignacious Crustaceous Dragneel!"

A fanfare of kazoos sounded and the audience cheered once again as Natsu Dragneel, a salmon crustacean crab with salmon spiky hair, entered riding in a cone shell pulled by two orange fish. The fish whinnied, suddenly swimming faster to try and catch up to King Makarov.

"Whoa!" Natsu cried, desperately clinging to the fish's reins. "Easy there, girls!" The fish then slowed beside King Makarov.

"I'm really looking forward to this performance, Natsu," Makarov smiled.

Natsu chuckled heartily, "Your Majesty! This will be the finest concert I have ever conducted." Makarov's large shell then landed on the highest seat in the concert hall, and Natsu continued, "Your daughters, they will be spectacular!"

"Yes," Makarov replied with a grin. "And especially my little Juvia."

Natsu replied, "Oh, yeah. That's right, Juvia. She has the most beautiful voice. I haven't heard a voice that beautiful since your late wife, Queen Clara. She was the prima donna of the concert hall…" He wiped a single tear from his eye, "May she rest in peace..."

Makarov nodded with understanding, "Yes, she was the star of the opera. And I miss her too. And I know if she could be here today, she'd be very proud of our seven little daughters." He then gave Natsu a wink of his eye and a thumbs up. "Now go out there and knock 'em dead, Natsu! Give 'em a performance they won't forget!"

Natsu complied, "You got it, Your Highness! This performance will be the best in the house." He managed to get properly back into his cone shell, jugging the reins. He then mumbled to himself once he was out of Makarov's earshot, "If only Juvia would show up for rehearsals once in a while."

As the fish pulled Natsu down to the podium, the orchestra tuned up and the audience clapped. Once at the podium, Natsu released the fish's reins and climbed out of the shell, before reaching it and pulling out a thick musical score. Natsu raised his baton and waved it in front of him, and the orchestra began playing. Three large clam shells rose onto the stage, which in turn opened to reveal two of six of the seven daughters of Makarov.

Daughters: **_Ah, we are the daughters of Makarov,  
Great father who loves us and named us well!_**

One by one, the mermaids swam up from their clams, sang their name, and then vocalized afterward.

Daughters: **_Mirana_**

The first mermaid in white long hair, Mirana (Mira/Mirajane), vocalized.

Daughters: **_Levyna_**

The second mermaid in light blue short hair, Levyna (Levy), vocalized.

Daughters: **_Erzana_**

The third mermaid in crimson long hair, Erzana (Erza), vocalized.

Daughters: **_Lakina_**

The fourth mermaid in short purple hair and wearing sunglasses, Lakina (Laki), vocalized.

Daughters: **_Lisanna_**

The fifth mermaid in short white hair, Lisanna (Lizzie), vocalized.

Daughters: **_Canala_**

The sixth mermaid in long brown hair, Canala (Cana), vocalized. Finally, another large clam rose onto the stage behind them. The six mermaids swam up next to the clam, pointing towards it. Natsu threw King Makarov a quick grin before turning back to the girls and continued directing the orchestra.

Daughters: **_And then there is the youngest in her musical debut  
Our seventh little sister, we're presenting her to you  
To sing a song that Natsu wrote, her voice is like a bell  
She's our sister, Juvi—_**

They stopped and everyone in the concert hall gasped when the calm opened, Juvia wasn't there. Natsu's claws flew up to his head, and he turned anxiously to look at Makarov, who obviously wasn't happy. How could the star of the show— his youngest daughter— disappear like that?

An angry look plastered on Makarov's face, and he yelled, " **JUUUUUVVVVIIIIIAAAAA!** " His thunderous voice echoed all over the concert hall and throughout the whole undersea kingdom.

Natsu slapped his claw to his forehead in anguish, "Ugh! That girl's gonna be the death of me! Always swimming about when she should be singing! Where could she have gone this time?!"


	2. Collecting Human Stuff

Far from the palace of Fairylantica, a young 17-year old mermaid swam up to look over the broken ruins of a sunken ship, her blue hair fluttering gracefully in the water around her. She smiled, seeing her target destination.

"Juvia!" a voice cried from behind her. "Wait for me!"

Juvia slightly rolled her eyes and turned to look at her best friend. She called out, "Lucy, hurry up!"

The yellow fish with blonde hair in question finally managed to catch up to her. She panted, "You know I can't swim that fast."

Pointing towards the sunken ship, Juvia gasped softly in excitement, "There it is. Isn't this amazing? A broken sunken ship means new stuff to collect!"

"Are you sure about this, Juvia?" Lucy asked nervously. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Come on, Lucy," Juvia groaned. "You're not getting cold fins now, are you? You should lighten up and enjoy this a bit more." Flicking her dorsal fin, she began making her way to the ship.

Following Juvia, Lucy replied, "Wait, you're saying I'm getting cold fins? No way! It's just… I'm worried about you, and… It, uh… It looks damp in there. Yeah!" She then placed a fin on her forehead, "And I think I may be coming down with something. Yeah, I got this cough." She coughed, trying to convince Juvia, who was looking into the ship.

Juvia turned to Lucy and whispered, "Alright, I'm going inside. You can just stay here and watch for sharks."

"Oh," Lucy whispered back with a smile as Juvia slipped into the ship through a round hole of a window. "Yeah, you go. I'll stay and look out for…" Suddenly realizing what she just said, her face widened with shock. "What?! Sharks?! Juvia!"

Lucy swam straight into the hole, only to get stuck halfway through. She grunted, trying to wriggle her way through the hole, but was unable to get free. She cried, "Juvia… I can't… Juvia, help!"

Juvia turned and laughed when she saw Lucy stuck in the hole. She swam up to her and said, "Oh, Lucy."

Lucy asked whisperingly, "Juvia, do you really think there might be sharks around here?" Juvia grabbed Lucy's fins and began to pull her out, completely unaware of the shark swimming past right outside.

Juvia pouted, "Lucy, don't be such a guppy."

"I'm no guppy!" Lucy argued. With a final pull, Juvia was able to pull her out of the hole. "I'm just as brave as you are, if not braver! I may be a little fish, but I know how to handle myself. I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Really, now?" Juvia said skeptically. "Not even of sharks?"

"Nope!" Lucy shook her head, albeit trembling with fear. "Not even manta rays, jellyfish, or sea monsters!"

"Well, in that case, let's keep going," Juvia suggested, and she began swimming through the ship, her best friend following close behind.

Lucy did her best to appear excited, but she was actually kind of nervous. She mused, "This is great. I mean, I really love this. Excitement, adventure, danger lurking around every corn—" Lucy gave a terrified scream upon seeing a human skeleton, and swam backwards into a vertical beam which collapsed. " **JUVIA!** " She swam full speed ahead into Juvia, who grunted upon being knocked backwards. Juvia wrapped her arms around the petrified fish.

Juvia asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem. I'm okay," Lucy shuddered, shaking uncontrollably.

Juvia shushed her, placing a finger to her lips. She swam from the bilge up to the lower deck. She looked around, before she spotted something. She exclaimed, "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!" Juvia eagerly swam towards the metal fork resting on the floor and picked it up. "Check it out, Lucy! Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your entire life?"

Lucy swam up beside her and said, "It must be some sort of pointy stick. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Juvia shrugged, dropping the fork in her coral-pink bag she brought to put her findings in. "But I bet Happy will! He's the only friend we know up in the surface world who's a genius on human stuff."

Suddenly, Lucy heard the low rumble of a very large shark going past the ship. She swam to the large nearby window and asked nervously, "What was that? Did you hear something?"

Juvia swam towards the other side and picked up a brown pipe from the floor. She wondered, "Hmm… I wonder what this one is?"

"Juvia, I have a bad feeling about this," Lucy persisted, not realizing that the shark was right behind her, staring at her through the window.

"Lucy, will you relax?" Juvia insisted. "Nothing is going to happen."

Lucy turned around, finally seeing the shark. But it's not just any ordinary shark – it's an Eclipse Pisces Shark! Of all the sharks in existence, the Eclipse Pieces Shark was the most terrifying flesh-eating fish in the shark family. Brandishing its sharp jaws, the Eclipse Pisces Shark opened its mouth and crashed right through the window, breaking it.

" **SHARK!** " Lucy screamed, which caught Juvia's attention. " **SHARK! WE'RE GONNA DIE!** "

Juvia's eyes widened fearfully seeing the shark, and she quickly stuffed the pipe into her bag. Lucy desperately tried to keep away from the shark until she caught up to Juvia, who wrapped a protective arm around her as the Eclipse Pisces Shark swam after them, chomping right through any wood that got in its way. "Let's get outta here!" Juvia yelled.

Lucy and Juvia took off up to the mid-deck, searching for an escape route, when the Eclipse Pisces Shark came breaking through the floor right in front of them. Lucy screamed horrifyingly, narrowly missing getting caught in the Eclipse Pisces Shark's teeth. She and Juvia took off with the shark following close behind, chomping through the floor as it went. Realizing she dropped her bag of human treasures, Juvia stopped and looked behind her.

"My stuff!" Juvia gasped, and she went towards her bag, only just managing to rescue it in time. She and Lucy kept swimming, before they approached the spot where they entered the ship. Wasting no time, Lucy went first, and again, got stuck halfway through. Lucy grunted as Juvia managed to push her outside, before slipping easily through the hole. The Eclipse Pieces Shark followed them, crashing right through the side of the ship.

Lucy screamed as the Eclipse Pieces Shark continued chasing them. Juvia and Lucy swam over to a nearby shipwreck, and spiraled up the mast. Juvia swam over the mast, but Lucy crashed into it, knocking her almost unconscious and began to sink. Juvia charged towards her best friend, swam halfway through the loop of an old anchor and caught Lucy in her arms. The Eclipse Pieces Shark sped towards them, growling viciously. Lucy whimpered, and Juvia slipped back out of the anchor's loop, just in time to get away from the Eclipse Pieces Shark, who followed them through the loop, and of course, got its big head stuck. Juvia stooped down and picked up her bag, while Lucy turned to the stunned shark with an angry expression.

"You big bully!" Lucy shouted, before blowing a raspberry at the Eclipse Pieces Shark. The shark responded by opening its jaws and snapping them shut, barely missing Lucy's tongue. The yellow fish with blonde hair yelped in terror, before catching up with Juvia, who had begun swimming to the surface.

Juvia chuckled amusingly, "Lucy, you really are a guppy."

"I am not!" Lucy protested, trying to keep up with Juvia.

* * *

Up on the surface, sitting on a rock sticking up out of the water, a young blue Exceed named Happy sat inside a 'crow's nest' leaning against the rock, which was actually a broken part of some ship. The Exceed looked around the telescope he was holding with his paw, singing some kind of random gibbering to himself.

Happy: **_Hmm-hmm…  
Fourteen-hundred and ninety-two  
Dah-de-dum, dee-do-do  
Rum-dim-dim, dee-do-dee-do…_**

"Happy!" Juvia called from not too far away. The Exceed jumped at the sound of his name, almost dropping his telescope. He caught the telescope and looked through the wrong end, making the mermaid seem much farther away.

"WHOA!" Happy yelled to the young girl right in front of him. "MERMAID OFF THE PORT BOW! HEY, JUVIA! HOW'RE YA DOING?!" He lowered to telescope to see Juvia right in front of him. "Wow, what a swim." Juvia and Lucy giggled in response. "Anyway, it's nice to see ya, Juvia. And you too, Lucy. What brings you up here on this fine day?" Happy asked, throwing the telescope aside.

"You wouldn't believe what we've found, Happy," Juvia replied. "More human stuff!"

"Yeah! We're in this sunken ship, and it was really creepy…" Lucy added.

"More human stuff, huh?" Happy asked curiously. "Let me see!" He stepped out of his crow's nest and landed down with his angel-like wings to where Juvia had placed her bag. The Exceed began rummaging through the bag.

"Wow… Would you look at this," Happy said cheerfully, pulling out the fork. "Definitely special. So very unusual. Heck, I used to use one on Carla all the time!"

"What? What is it?" Juvia asked eagerly, her eyes twinkling.

"It's a dinglehopper!" Happy replied, holding the fork up.

"A dinglehopper?" Lucy asked skeptically. "What's that supposed to do?"

Happy explained, "Dinglehoppers are one of the best tools in the shed, if not the sharpest. Humans use these little babies to comb their hair, or straighten their hair out, like a stylist! See this?" Happy demonstrated by sticking the 'dinglehopper' into the fur on his hear and twirled, before yanking it out. He continued, "Just a little twirl here, and viola!" The fur on his head now had a nice poufy fro. "What do you think of my new furstyle? Carla loved it when I gave her one. You've got in your hands an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over!"

Happy passed the fork back to Juvia, who said to herself in amazement, "A dinglehopper."

"I can't believe how much you know about human stuff, Happy. How do you know so much without getting caught?" Lucy asked.

"Same way as always. My fellow Exceed brethren have always been sneaking around with their wings," Happy explained with a smile. "We Exceeds are masters of camouflage, flight, and disguise!"

Lucy then pointed to the brown pipe with her fin, "What about that one?"

"Wow…" Happy gasped, picking up the pipe. "I haven't seen this one in a while. This is amazing! It's the greatest invention of all… A banded, bulbous snarfblatt."

Juvia and Lucy looked at each other and exclaimed happily, "Oh! The snarfblatt!"

Happy dipped the 'snarfblatt' into the ocean, before lifting it out and pouring the water out. He explained, "The snarfblatt dates back to prehistorical times when humans used to sit around and stare at each other all day. Got very boring." He stared Lucy straight in the face, before sitting up. "So they invented this snarfblatt to make fine music. Allow me." Happy held the pipe to his mouth and blew into it, causing some kind of sea plant to spurt out, which made him start coughing. "It's stuck!"

" **MUSIC?!** " Juvia gasped, realizing that the word 'music' rang a bell. "The concert! Oh, my gosh! My father's gonna kill me!"

"Wait, the concert was today?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe if you blow it from the other end…" Happy said to himself, giving the pipe to Juvia, who frantically stuffed into her bag along with the fork.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta go!" Juvia cried. "Thank you, Happy!" She waved as she and Lucy dove back down underwater.

"Anytime, Juvia!" Happy called back. "Anytime!"

Juvia and Lucy began swimming as quickly as they could towards Fairylantica, completely unaware they were being watched…

* * *

"Yes… hurry home, Princess. We wouldn't want to miss old Daddy's celebration, now, would we?" a wicked female voice echoed from the shadows, watching the pair through her magic seeing bubble. It then scoffed, "Ha! Celebration, indeed. Oh, bah!"

"In my day, I was the Royal Wizard of Fairylantica," the woman reached over to grab one of the whimpering, trembling shrimp on the tray beside her. She continued, "We had exquisite concerts and fantastical feasts, when I lived in the palace." The woman opened her mouth, threw the shrimp in and swallowed it.

"And now, look at me!" the woman complained, emerging out of the hole of a big shell to reveal her appearance as a half-person, half octopus wearing an intricate white helmet with wing-like pieces of protruded hair covering the entirety of her face, save for her eyes and mouth. "Wasted away to practically nothing. Banished and exiled and practically starving, while _he_ and his _flimsy_ fish folk celebrate!" She floated from the shell and landed on the ground, and walked using her tentacles as legs. "Well, I'll give them something to celebrate soon enough." She turned to another corner and yelled, "Jackal! Franmalth!"

Her two eels quickly swam to her side, the first eel with blonde hair shaped like a jackal and a canine face, and the second eel with a single black eye and a cheerful grinning expression.

"It appears you've been in a moping mood for the thousandth time, Mistress Kyôka!" Franmalth commented. "How much does that cost, I wonder?"

Jackal sighed, "Why does a cost always have to go with everything, Franmalth?"

Franmalth explained, "Plain and simple, Jackal. Debt is the only absolute law in this world. Every action comes with an opposite reaction. Every action costs something! That why costs are important! But I wonder… how much will our chance at redemption by taking over Fairylantica cost us?"

"No, my dears, there is neither a greater cost nor a risk," Kyôka assured with a wicked smile. "This time, our revenge scheme will work without any cost. Soon, we'll be able to take down King Makarov and take over the throne. We'll be back on top, sipping seaweed wine, eating succulent seafood, and causing mass havoc in our wake. Remember, my pets, vengeance is a dish best served cold, and when the time is ripe, we'll have Makarov on a silver platter, poached with lemon wedge!" Jackal and Franmalth cheered in agreement.

Jackal remarked, "Mistress Kyôka, you're a genius!"

Franmalth added, "You truly live up to the nickname of Goddess of the Slave Ocean!"

"In the meantime, I want you two to keep an extra close watch on this _pretty_ little daughter of his," Kyôka told them. "She may be the key to Makarov's undoing."


	3. Part of Your World

At Fairylantica, Juvia was receiving a strict lecture from her father, King Makarov. Lucy was pacing around in anxious circles, for she knew how the sea king got when he was mad.

"I just don't know what we're going to do with you, young lady," Makarov scolded.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. I just forgot," Juvia tried to explain. "I—"

Makarov interrupted sternly, "As a result of your careless behavior…"

"Careless and reckless behavior!" Natsu added, floating above Makarov's head.

Makarov continued, "…the entire celebration was…"

"Ruined! It was done, finished, completely destroyed!" Natsu concluded, swimming in front of Juvia to rebuke her. "This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career." He pointed an accusing claw at Juvia, "Now, thanks to you, I'm the laughingstock of the entire kingdom!"

Juvia crossed her arms, "Right, Natsu… That's because you were held in such high esteem before all this."

Natsu argued, "Hey, this is not the time for jokes! And you don't have the right to make fun of your elders! You should be ashamed of yourself for ditching the concert, just when we were looking forward to it! You're an embarrassment to the royal family!"

Lucy decided she had enough of the way Natsu was talking to her best friend. She swam into the room and yelled at the crab, "But it wasn't her fault!" She turned to King Makarov, "Your Majesty, don't get too mad at Juvia. It's an error of judgment on her part as well as mine. We simply forgot the concert was today."

King Makarov and Natsu glanced at each other, before turning back to Lucy. "So?" Makarov asked.

Lucy explained, "First, we were exploring a sunken ship, collecting stuff, and then the Eclipse Pisces Shark chased us. But we got out of here just in time. And then Happy the Exceed came, and it was 'This is this, and that is that'—"

"Exceed?" Makarov questioned. "Is that the name of a cat from… the surface world?!" Realizing what she just said, Lucy gasped and covered her mouth with her fins. "You went up to the surface again, didn't you? Didn't you?!" Makarov exclaimed.

Juvia bit her lower lip briefly, "Nothing… happened."

Placing a hand on his forehead, Makarov groaned, "Oh, Juvia, how many times must we go through this? You could've been seen by one of those barbarians, by one of those humans!"

"Daddy, they're not barbarians!" Juvia argued.

"They are dangerous," Makarov shot back. "Do you think I want to see my youngest daughter snared by a fish-eater's hook?" He lifted his daughter's head with his fingertips. "We all remember a long time ago when your mother was crushed to death by a ship, a ship run by those treacherous humans! You don't want to suffer her fate, do you?"

"You know I don't," Juvia nodded, before she shouted, "But I'm seventeen years old! I'm not a child anymore! I can take care of myself!"

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me, young lady!" Makarov snapped. "As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!"

"But if you would just listen…" Juvia started to cry.

" **Not another word!** " Makarov yelled, his voice rising to a nearly incomprehensible roar. "And I am never, **NEVER** to hear of you going to the surface again! **Is that clear?** "

Her lips trembling with anger, Juvia turned and swam out of the throne room with tears rolling down her face, with Lucy following behind.

Meanwhile, King Makarov sat back in his throne and sighed, "Perhaps I'm being too strict… I'm just… concerned for Juvia's safety."

"Hmph," Natsu scoffed, standing on one of the throne's arm rests. "Teenagers. They think they know everything. You give 'em an inch, they swim all over you."

Makarov asked Natsu nervously, "Um, Natsu? Do you, uh… think… I was too hard on her?"

"You, the king of Fairylantica, hard on your youngest daughter? Of course not!" Natsu confirmed. "You're just trying to protect Juvia from harm. After what happened today, she totally had it coming. It's her fault for getting herself into this mess. I mean, if Juvia's my daughter, I'd show her who's boss. No more of this 'flitting to the surface' and other stuff like that. No, sir. I'd keep her under tight control."

Makarov rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and smiled at that idea. He said, "You're absolutely right, Natsu."

"Of course I am, Your Majesty," the salmon crab nodded his head.

"Juvia needs constant supervision," Makarov decided.

"Constant," Natsu agreed.

"Someone to look after her, to keep her out of trouble."

"All the time."

"And _you_ are just the crab to do it!" Makarov told Natsu, jabbing a finger into the crab's underbelly. The only reply he could give was a gulp.

* * *

Outside the palace, Natsu was grumbling angrily to himself. "Just had to open my big mouth… How could I be so stupid?! I should be writing symphonies for the concert hall every day, not tagging along after some headstrong teenager like Juvia!" Just then, he noticed Lucy giving Juvia her coral-pink treasure bag. The two looked to the left and right to check if no one sees them, before making their way out of the palace. "Huh?" Natsu said puzzled, and began swimming after them. "What's she up to this time?"

* * *

Natsu crawled onto a rock, panting heavily, and saw Juvia and Lucy stop in front of the entrance of a cave, which was covered by a large round boulder. Juvia pulled it forward before she and Lucy slipped inside, and the boulder began falling back into place. Natsu charged for the shrinking gap and only just managed to get through, but the boulder sent him flying into the grotto, straight into an hourglass. Natsu rubbed his head and groaned, before giving a gasp, "Huh?" His jaw dropped at what he had seen.

The grotto— which was obviously Juvia's— was filled with human treasures she collected from her previous ventures in the surface world. Shelves, trinkets, devices, and old junk; the likes of which Natsu had never seen before. He watched as Juvia lay on a rock in front of an old candelabra made for three candles, which currently held a knife on the left and a spoon on the right. As Juvia twiddled the fork in her hands, Lucy looked at her worriedly. She asked, "Juvia, are you okay?"

"If only I could make him understand. I just don't see things the way he does," Juvia sighed sadly, carefully placing her fork in the candelabra's spot between the knife and spoon. "I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things… could be bad." Glancing around her grotto, she began to sing.

Juvia: **_Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?  
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?  
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl  
The girl who has everything?_**

 ** _Look as this trove, treasures untold  
How many wonders can one cavern hold?  
Looking around here, you'd think,  
'Sure, she's got everything'_**

 ** _I've got gadgets and gizmos of plenty  
I've got whozits and whatzits galore_**

Juvia swam over to one of the shelves on her grotto and picked up a wooden box, opening it to reveal several corkscrews, each one different from the rest.

 ** _You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty._**

Juvia closed the box and placed it back on its shelf, then looked up at the hole in the grotto's ceiling.

 ** _But who cares? No big deal  
I want more_**

Natsu couldn't believe what he just heard. She was actually singing about wanting a life on the surface!

 ** _I wanna be where the people are  
I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancing  
Walking around on those…  
What do you call 'em?_**

Lucy waggled her tail fin. Juvia smiled, "Oh, feet." She pinched it, making Lucy giggle. Juvia then continued swimming around her grotto.

 ** _Flipping your fins, you don't get too far  
Legs are required for jumping, dancing  
Strolling along down a…  
What's that word again?  
Street_**

 ** _Up where they walk  
Up where they run  
Up where they stay all day in the sun_**

 ** _Wandering free  
Wish I could be  
Part of that world_**

Juvia and Lucy swam back down to the bottom of the grotto and lay on the sandy floor.

 ** _What would I give if I could live  
Out of these waters?  
What would I pay to spend the day  
Out of the sand?_**

 ** _Betcha on land, they understand  
Bet they don't reprimand their daughters  
Bright young women, sick of swimmin'  
Ready to stand_**

Juvia pushed herself off the ground, pulled a book off one of the shelves and opened it to show Lucy.

 ** _And ready to know what the people know  
Ask 'em my questions and get some answers  
What's a fire, and why does it…  
What's the word? Burn?_**

By now, Juvia was practically shouting each word that her incredible singing voice produced as she rose up to the hole on the ceiling and stretched her hand out of it.

 ** _When's it my turn?  
Wouldn't I love…  
Love to explore that shore up above?_**

Juvia's voice then softened to the way it was when she first started singing. She swam down to the rock she was lying on before and sat on it as Lucy came up beside her.

 ** _Out of the sea…  
Wish I could be…  
Part of that world_**

Natsu, who had been quietly walking around the grotto watching Juvia, accidentally fell from one of the shelves into a tray covered with treasures, creating a huge crash. Juvia and Lucy turned to where the crash sounded, and gasped upon seeing who it was: a totally upset salmon crab sprawled on top of a rusted accordion with a pipe on his mouth, a necklace of beads and a hook all over his body, and his leg stuck on a small cup.

"Natsu!" Juvia exclaimed.

Natsu stood up and frustratingly shook the stuff off his body. He demanded stutteringly, "Juvia… What are you… How could you… What is all this?!"

"It's, uh… This is my grotto," Juvia replied innocently. "And this is… my collection."

"Oh, I see. Your collection," Natsu said calmly, holding up the hook, before he threw it down and started screaming his head off, " **IF YOUR FATHER KNEW ABOUT THIS PLACE, HE—** "

Lucy gasped and gave a worried look in front of Natsu's face, "You're not gonna tell him, are you?!"

Juvia begged, "Oh, please, Natsu. He would never understand."

Natsu chuckled, "Juvia, you must've been under a lot of pressure down here. How's about I take you home and get you something warm to drink?" He gently took Juvia's hand and began leading her out of the grotto.

Suddenly, a large dark shape passed over the grotto, blocking the light, and causing a low rumbling noise. This caught Juvia's attention.

"What do you suppose…?" Juvia wondered, and she swam away from Natsu.

"It's probably just a whale or something. Let's go, Juvia… Juvia?" Natsu looked around and spotted her swimming up towards the hole leading to the surface. "Juvia, wait!" He swam after her, followed by Lucy.


	4. Gray's Birthday Party

Juvia broke through the surface and swept some hair out of her eyes, and gasped in awe at the sight of a majestic ship not too far away, illuminated by the crackling and bursting of colorful fireworks. She giggled happily as Lucy and Natsu surfaced beside her. This ship was something much different than the sunken ones she explored back home.

"Juvia, what are you looking—" Natsu began, before his mouth fell open and his eyes widened upon noticing the ship. "Jumping jellyfish!"

Juvia dove back into the water and began leaping towards the ship, bolting past Natsu. "Juvia? Juvia! Wait! Come back!" Natsu called desperately as she swam closer and closer to the ship.

As Juvia arrived beside the ship, she could clearly hear the sounds of men laughing and chatting, along with the lively music of an accordion being played. Juvia climbed up the railing of the boat and sat on a wooden ledge, looking through a small scupper. Most of the sailors on deck were clapping to the music, but a few were dancing happily to the music. A shaggy grey and white sheepdog bounded around the deck, barking cheerfully. The dog stopped and sniffed the air, before making her way to the scupper Juvia was looking through. Gasping, she turned and moved to the side. After a few seconds, Juvia slowly turned her head to see the sheepdog poking her head through the scupper, panting joyfully, before licking her cheek.

A young man whistled, calling his dog, "Ur! Here, girl!"

Ur turned and barked happily, running towards her owner. Juvia looked through the hole to see who had called the furry sheepdog. "Hey, come on, girl. What ya doin', huh, Ur?" the man asked cheerfully, with Ur leaping up to lick his face.

"Wow…" Juvia gasped softly. The young man had stunning blue eyes and short black hair. He was wearing gray boots, a white long-sleeved trenchcoat, a blue t-shirt with belt straps around it, and black pants. The little mermaid was starting to get attracted to this strange, handsome young man. The more she started at the man, the more infatuated she became. If only she could get close enough to see his eyes…

The man laughed, stroking Ur's head, "C'mon, Ur. Good girl, good girl." Juvia smiled to herself, before hearing a voice behind her.

"Hey, Juvia!" Happy shouted loudly, hovering closer to the ship. "Oh, boy! That was some big party, ain't it?"

Juvia hissed, "Happy, be quiet! They'll hear you!"

"Oh, I gotcha, I gotcha," Happy lowered his voice, and he flew down to sit next to her on the ledge. "We're going incognito, spying on heavily fortified territory, infiltrating the base, braving the unknown." His voice then grew louder, "WE'RE OUT TO DISCOVER—" Juvia quickly covered Happy's mouth and looked back at the sailors, who seemed to have not heard a thing.

"This is so exciting, Happy. I've never seen a human this close before," Juvia smiled charmingly, glancing back at the young man playing music through a thin silver pipe. She lets go of Happy's mouth and sighed, "He's very handsome, isn't he?"

"Well, I don't know," Happy shrugged, rubbing the back of his head with his paw as he watched Ur. "He looks kinda hairy and slobbery to me."

Juvia shook her head and laughed, "Not that one! The one playing the snarfblatt."

"Oh, right," Happy nodded. "I knew that."

Just then, a well-dressed young man with white spiky hair walked through the crowd and said, "Attention, everyone! Attention!" All of the sailors grew silent, and the young black-haired man sat down on a wooden barrel. The white-haired man continued, "It is now my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Gray with a very special, very expensive, very large birthday present."

The white-haired man motioned towards a very large package wrapped in a brown sack tied to a red ribbon around it, and the crowd cheered. Gray smiled, "Ah, Lyon, you busty old noodle, you shouldn't have!"

"Yeah, I know," Lyon replied, rolling his eyes. "But I don't appreciate being called a 'busty old noodle'. I'm almost the same age as you. Can't you give me a break for once?" Gray just shrugged. "Happy birthday, Gray."

Sting Eucliffe approached the gift, undid the ribbon on the package, grabbed the brown sack covering the present, and pulled it off. The package revealed itself as what supposed to be a solid ice sculpture of Prince Gray; however, the nose had been shaped terribly wrong. Many sailors laughed jokingly, a few others applauded, and Ur growled at the statue with disgust.

Gray walked up to it and cleared his throat, trying to sound grateful for this so-called 'birthday present.' "Uh, gee, Lyon… It's, uh… really somethin'."

"I commissioned it myself," Lyon stated proudly. "I had the best from the Ajax Ice-Maker Company design this fine ice sculpture. Not to mention, it's made up of special ice that never melts." He then gave Gray a stern look, "Of course, I had hoped it would be a wedding present."

Gray laughed and replied, "Come on, Lyon. Don't start!" He watched up to the side of the ship; the side that the ledge Juvia and Happy were sitting on. "You're not still sore that I didn't fall in love with the Princess of Blue Pegasus, are you? It's not that I'm totally against the idea of marrying a girl and taking my place as the new king. I always looked forward to being king when I was a kid. But after everything that's happened, I mean, with my dad passing away and all… I'm just not in it with being tied down with royal duties for the rest of my life. Like, the past couple months?" He then sighed, "It's like I'm trapped in a fish bowl. I don't want to live on display forever. I want the whole ocean to swim in. You know, exploring, go on adventures…"

Juvia smiled at the irony. He longed for life free from the pressures of life as much as she does.

Lyon placed a hand on Gray's shoulder, "And you'll have the freedom to do as you please, once you are crowned King Gray. It will only happen when you marry a certain lady who enters the picture."

Gray chuckled, "I know. But I'm not interested in any of those 'princess' types. All they do is whine and complain about their hair, dresses, and make-up. That's not the kind of person I want to spend my life with. Like I said, you're still sore about the whole Blue Pegasus affair?"

Lyon sighed, "I'm sorry you feel that way, Gray. But who else is there to choose from? You need a bride if you're to take the crown. And it isn't just me! Everyone in the kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."

"She's out there somewhere, Lyon," Gray replied. "I just haven't found her yet. I want her to be more than just beautiful, but vivacious and wild… like the sea." Juvia blushed deeply at Gray at that comment.

Lyon stated, "Perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough."

Gray grinned, "Believe me, Lyon. When I find her, I'll know. Without a single doubt, it'll just... BAM! Hit me, like lightning."

As if on cue, there was a flash of lightning and a loud rumble filled the sky, making Gray, Lyon, and everyone else on the ship aware of the storm that was brewing.

" **HURRICANE A-COMIN'!** " Bora, the man in the crow's nest shouted. " **STAND FAST! SECURE THE RIGGIN'!** "

Gray and the rest of the sailors ran in different directions to prepare the ship. The clouds darkened, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, as howling winds ripped through the skies and rain pelted down on the ship. The sailors shouted to each other while Ur barked fearfully.

"Hang on!" Juvia cried, and she and Happy clung to the ship's ropes for dear life, attempting to resist the strong winds picking up speed. Juvia looked down briefly, and saw Lucy and Natsu attempting to get to the ship through the roaring waves. The more the winds get stronger, the more harder for Juvia and Happy to hold on.

Happy yelled, "Whoa! The wind's all of a sudden on a move here!"

"Careful, Happy! Watch out!" Juvia shouted as she tried to grab Happy's hand. However, Happy lost his grip and was swept away by the strong winds.

" **JUUUUVVVIIIIAAAA!** " Happy screamed as he disappeared into the dark sky. Lucy and Natsu heard Happy yelled and tried to swim towards the ship, but were soon engulfed by the waves.

Yuka Suzuki, the sailor holding the ship's wheel, lost grip and was forced away from the wheel by a giant wave that crashed against the ship. The ship's bell clanged loudly as Gray raced to grab the ship's wheel. A monstrous wave toyed with the ship as lightning lit up the sky. Juvia, unable to hold onto the rope any longer, was sent tumbling back into the ocean. She resurfaced just in time to see a bolt of lightning hit one of the sails, setting it on fire.

Gray quickly noticed that the ship was heading straight for a huge rock, as it about to crash. He yelled, "Look out!"

The sailors ran for their lives as the ship made contact with the rock. By the intense collision, Gray, Lyon, and the sailors were tossed into the waves, screaming. Somehow, Sting and Rouge had managed to get the small rowboat off the ship and into the ocean, and the crew quickly swam to it and got abroad. Gray reached out to grab Lyon.

"Lyon! Hang on!" Gray shouted, pulling Lyon into the rowboat. Just then, the sound of a distant terrified bark reached Gray's ears. He turned to see his beloved canine companion stranded on the burning ship. "Ur!" he exclaimed.

With no time to waste, Gray dove into the waves, swam up to the ship, and climbed up the side. He flung himself abroad and ran to get Ur, the mast falling down and crashing through the top deck.

Gray held up his arms, ready to catch the dog, "Jump, Ur! Come on, girl! Jump! You can do it, Ur!" Ur obeyed and leapt into her master's arms. Carrying the sheepdog, Gray ran across the deck, trying to find somewhere safe to jump from the ship. Just as he reached the edge of the ship, his foot fell through the deck, and Ur yelped as she flew from his arms and into the ocean. Gray desperately tried to free himself, completely unaware that the flames were quickly nearing the deck of explosives.

"Gray!" Lyon yelled, pulling Ur into the row boat.

 **KA-BOOM!** Lyon, Ur, and the sailors watched in horror as the ship exploded into a large ball of fire. Juvia, who had witnessed the whole thing, sprang into action and carefully made her way to the ship. She searched through the bits of debris floating on the surface, until she saw Gray. She swam towards the unconscious human prince as he slipped under the waves. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to the surface. Holding Gray tightly in her arms, she began making her way back to shore. The left-over fireworks continued to burst, and Ur barked from somewhere out in the distance.

* * *

By the time Juvia managed to pull Gray to shore, dawn was approaching. She carefully laid the still unconscious prince on the beach, and was soon joined by Happy.

"Is he... dead?" Juvia asked anxiously.

"It's hard to say," Happy replied, and he stepped over Gray's body while Lucy and Natsu came over to see what all the fuss was about. Happy grabbed Gray's right foot and pressed it to his ear. He sighed and shook his head, "Oh, I can't make out a heartbeat."

Just then, Gray weakly gasped for air and coughed out seawater from his mouth. Juvia turned and said happily, "No, look! He's breathing!" She then brushed one of the locks on his face with an affectionate sigh, "He's so beautiful."

Juvia: **_What would I give to live where you are?  
What would I pay to stay here beside you?  
What would I do to see you…  
Smiling at me?_**

Natsu, who was resting in the shallow water nearby with Lucy, looked at Juvia with his jaw dropped in disbelief, literally to the floor, realizing that the mermaid princess **HE** was supposed to keep out of trouble had fallen in love… with a human! Happy grinned slyly and shoved the crab's jaw back to his mouth.

Happy whispered in a romantic tone, " _She loves him._ "

 ** _Where would we walk?  
Where would we run?  
If we could stay all day in the sun?_**

Gray, regaining consciousness, looked up and stared at the girl who saved him. At first glance, he thought he was looking at an angel. She had the most beautiful sapphire eyes he had ever seen, and her long blue hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. He also felt her gentle hand on his cheek, and he slid his own hand over hers, instantly in love with this mysterious angel. She continued to sing sweetly in a voice that Gray knew he would remember for the rest of his life.

 ** _Just you and me  
And I could be  
Part of your world_**

As she finished her beautiful melody, the sound of Ur's barking filled their ears, and Juvia slipped away from Gray and hurried back into the ocean.

Just as she left, Gray received a lick on the face from Ur, before he heard Lyon calling him, "Gray? Gray!" He stood up as Lyon came up beside him and helped him to his feet. He chuckled with relief, "There you are! You nearly scared us to death. After that explosion, I thought you were gone. What happened to you?"

"A girl…" Gray explained, rubbing his head. "A girl rescued me, Lyon. She pulled me right out of the surf. And she… she was… singing. She has… She has the most beautiful voice." Unable to explain more, he grew faint and stumbled backwards, and was caught by Lyon.

Lyon grinned, "You had a nasty accident, Gray. I think you've swallowed a lot of seawater. All you need is a lot of rest." He began leading the exhausted Gray back to the palace. "Off we go. Come on, Ur." Ur, who was leaping around in the waves, began making her way over to Lyon and his human friend.

Meanwhile, Juvia was hiding behind a rock and watched Gray, Lyon, and Ur, not really listening to Natsu, who was explaining to her and Lucy how they were going to pull this off. He suggested, "We just gotta pretend that this whole thing ever happened. We're gonna move on and resume our daily lives, but most important, King Makarov will never know. You won't tell him, I won't tell him. I will stay in one piece."

Her thought focused somewhere else, Juvia ignored Natsu and began to sing again.

Juvia: **_I don't know when  
I don't know how  
But I know something starting right now_**

 ** _Watch and you'll see  
Someday I'll be  
Part of your world_**

Kneeling on the rock, Juvia leaned towards the sun, letting the waves wash over her and the wind whip through her hair. Neither Gray nor Lyon heard Juvia singing, but Ur did, and she answered her with a happy bark. As Juvia watched the three vanish from sight, two cunning eels quietly and mischievously watched the scene from not too far away...

* * *

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no," Kyôka laughed amusingly, watching Juvia through her magical seeing bubble. "I can't stand it! This is much too easy! The youngest daughter of the great sea king, Makarov, is in love with a human. And not just any human, a prince!" She then chuckled to herself, "I can only imagine the look on her dear daddy's face when he finds out."

"So what's the plan, Mistress Kyôka?" Jackal communicated through the magic seeing bubble. "Should we capture the princess?"

Franmalth added to the communication, "That way, we can use her for bait to capture the sea king and DESTROY HIM! Now THAT'S a perfect plan with no costs!"

Kyôka thought for a moment, and grinned evilly, "My dear henchmen, young lovesick teenagers like her always tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Why capture her when you can easily manipulate her? All that is needed is the proper incentive. We don't need to take any more steps. All we have to do is wait for the opportune moment, and then she'll come to us."

Jackal and Franmalth looked at each other in confusion, and said, "Huh?"

Kyôka continued, "I always knew she could prove useful. King Makarov's headstrong, lovesick girl _would_ make a charming addition to my little garden." She turned around to see the swarms of little ugly sea creatures stuck to the ground, and she began cackling maniacally.


	5. Under the Sea

A few days had passed and Juvia was acting stranger as ever. People would raise their eyebrows whenever they passed her singing or humming to herself out loud. In one particular day, Juvia's elder sisters started to worry about her odd behavior.

Erza swam in front of the wash room and called out, "Juvia, dear, time to come out. You've been in there for 30 minutes."

Juvia emerged from the room, not really paying her sister any attention as she daydreamed of the handsome Prince Gray. She hummed the tune of the song she sang to him, not noticing the looks her sisters were giving her.

"What's with her lately?" Cana asked.

Mirajane asked Cana, "What are you talking about?"

Levy answered, "She's talking about Juvia, that's what."

Lisanna asked, "What about her? She sure is acting fishy."

Laki noted, "I'll say! Swimming in circles, chasing her tail, humming and daydreaming to herself. She's up to her gills in something." She and her sisters circled around Juvia, who was rearranging her hair in front of the mirror.

Juvia continued humming as she picked a sea flower nearby and swam off, bumping into Makarov on the way out. She said, "Oh! Morning, Daddy." She placed the flower in her father's strands of white hair.

"Well," Makarov chuckled blushingly.

Juvia swam out of the room and down the corridor, humming and twirling gracefully. King Makarov watched in confusion at his daughter's state, and was quickly joined by his other six daughters.

Cana stated, "We were right, girls. She's definitely got it bad."

"What? What has she got?" Makarov asked.

"You mean you haven't noticed, Dad?" Lisanna asked skeptically.

"What I haven't noticed?" Makarov questioned.

Levy said, "Think about it, Daddy!"

Erza added, "It's clearly obvious. Juvia is in love."

"Juvia? In love?" Makarov wondered, pulling the flower out of his hair and smiling to himself. The singing, the giggling, the dreamy look… Did it all add up?

* * *

Meanwhile, outside Fairylantica, Natsu continuously paced around in circles, talking nervously to himself while Juvia was sitting on a rock, picking petals off the flower in front of her. "Okay… so far so good. I don't think King Makarov suspects anything. As long as I keep a close eye on Juvia…" Natsu stopped pacing as he looked at Juvia dreamily picking off the petals. He groaned, "Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way I can keep something like this a secret for long."

"He loves me…" Juvia picked a petal off. "Mmm, he loves me not." She picked off the last petal excitedly. "He loves me!" She laughed happily, "I knew it!"

Natsu scolded, "Juvia, will you knock it off and stop acting crazy!"

Juvia giggled, "Oh, I can't help it, Natsu. I've never felt so wonderful my whole life! If only there was a way I could see him again…" Coming up with an idea, she decided, "Yes, that's it! I've gotta see him again! Tonight! Happy knows where he lives."

Juvia began swimming off, but Natsu grabbed her tail. He insisted, "Juvia, will you please get your head out of the clouds and back into the water where it belongs?"

Juvia paid no attention to Natsu, for her heart and mind were set on seeing Gray again. She continued, "I'll swim up to his castle, then I'll have Lucy splash around to get his attention, and then we'll—"

"DOWN HERE is your home!" Natsu shouted, and he swam in front of her face. "Juvia, listen to me. The human world, it's a mess! Life under the sea is way better than anything they got up there." Juvia sat back down on the rock she was sitting on. Natsu stood in front of her, and began singing about life under the sea.

Natsu: **_The seaweed is always greener  
In somebody else's lake  
You dream about going up there  
But that is a big mistake_**

 ** _Just look at the world around you  
Right here on the ocean floor  
Such wonderful things around you  
What more is you lookin' for?_**

A school of yellow fish swam around Juvia, and Natsu kept singing.

 ** _Under the sea! Under the sea!  
Darlin', it's better  
Down where it's wetter  
Take it from me!_**

 ** _Up on the shore, they work all day  
Out in the sun, they slave away  
While we devotin', full time to floatin'  
Under the sea!_**

Juvia watched as Natsu swam up to a bright blue lobster named Macao Conbolt, who was playing a set of clam shells. Now it was Natsu's turn to play the clam shells.

Natsu and Macao: **_Down here, all the fish is happy_**

Natsu: **_As off through the waves they roll_**

A cute baby dolphin named Kinana swam past. To demonstrate bad life on the surface, he pointed to an elderly fish named Wakaba Mine caught inside a bubble.

Natsu and Macao: **_The fish on the land ain't happy_**

Natsu: **_They sad 'cause they in the bowl_**

 ** _But fish in the bowl is lucky  
They in for a worser fate  
One day when the boss get hungry…_**

Natsu reached forward and popped the bubble with his claw, and Wakaba landed on a plate-like surface wrapped in salad, before he said his line.

Wakaba: **_Guess who's gon' be on the plate?_**

Natsu: **_Oh, no!_**

A small group of seahorse appeared and tickled Juvia's face as Natsu kept pointing out what made the sea so fantastic.

Natsu: **_Under the sea! Under the sea!  
Nobody beat us  
Fry us and eat us  
In fricassee!_**

Natsu placed a hook inside a clam, before it closed and spat the hook out.

 ** _We what the land folks loves to cook  
Under the sea, we off the hook  
We got no troubles, life is the bubbles  
Under the sea!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Under the sea)_**

Natsu: **_Under the sea!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Under the sea)_**

Natsu: **_Since life is sweet here  
We got the beat here  
Naturally!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Naturally-ee-ee-ee-ee)_**

Loads of different sea creatures came in to join the song.

Natsu: **_Even the sturgeon an' the ray  
They get the urge 'n' start to play  
We got the spirit, you got to hear it  
Under the sea!_**

All of the sea creatures began to play different sea instruments to brighten the mood.

 ** _The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp  
The plaice play the bass, and they soundin' sharp  
The bass play the brass, the chub play the tub  
The fluke is the duke of soul (Yeah!)_**

 ** _The ray, he can play, the ling's on the strings  
The trout's rockin' out, the blackfish, she sings  
The smelt and the sprat, they know where it's at  
An' oh, that blowfish blow!_**

As the music continued in full swing, Lucy had snuck in from the crowd in search of Juvia. She smiled and swam up to Lucy, and whispered something in Juvia's ear that made her excited. Seeing that Natsu was preoccupied with all the singing and dancing, Juvia and Lucy managed to sneak away unseen. The song nonetheless continued as it reached its finale.

Natsu: **_YEAH!  
Under the sea!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Under the sea)_**

Natsu: **_Under the sea!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Under the sea)_**

Natsu: **_When the sardine  
Begin to beguine  
It's music to me!_**

Sea Snails: **_(Music is to me)_**

Natsu: **_What do they got? A lot of sand?  
We got a hot crustacean band!  
Each little clam here know how to jam here  
Under the sea!_**

 ** _Each little slug here cuttin' a rug here  
Under the sea!_**

 ** _Each little snail here know how to wail here  
That's why it's hotter under the water  
Ya, we in luck here down in the muck here  
Under the sea!_**

At the exact same moment, Natsu and the sea creatures pointed at the rock Juvia sat on, only to find out she's already gone. "Juvia?" Immediately, all of the sea creatures swam away.

Macao called as he left with the others, "Hey, great jam, Natsu! We'd be happy to jam with you some other time!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Natsu nodded unsurely. With everyone gone, Natsu placed a claw to the forehead and groaned, "Somebody's gotta nail that girl's fins to the floor."

" **NATSU!** " a voice cried. Natsu turned to see Wendy the Seahorse, the Royal Announcer, frantically swimming towards him. She panted, "Natsu, I've been looking all over for you! I've got an urgent message from the sea king."

"The sea king?" Natsu asked, trying not to sound too nervous.

"Yeah," Wendy nodded. "He wants to see you back at Fairylantica right away. It must have something to do with Princess Juvia." She then sped off towards the palace.

Natsu gasped, his eyes widening in horror. "He knows…!"


	6. Juvia in Love with a Human

At the palace, King Makarov sat at his throne, messing with the flower Juvia had put in his hair. He laughed to himself and thought out loud, "Alright, let's see now. Oh, who could the lucky merman be? Is he a prince from a faraway undersea kingdom? I do hope he's a prince…" Just then, he noticed Natsu standing in the doorway, looking nervous. Makarov straightened up and cleared his throat, "Oh, hello, Natsu. Just the crab I was waiting for. Come on in."

Natsu inhaled sharply and mumbled to himself, "Okay, Natsu… don't overreact. Just remain calm." He quickly scurried over to Makarov and asked in a high-pitched squeaky voice, "YES?" He leared his throat and tried again, "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Um, Natsu, I'm concerned about Juvia," Makarov said. "Have you noticed she's been acting peculiar lately?"

"Peculiar?" Natsu questioned, sweating nervously.

"You know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to herself..." Makarov looked at Natsu curiously. "You haven't noticed?"

Natsu could tell where this was going. Makarov would ask who Juvia was in love with, and he would have no other option but to tell the sea king that she was in love with a human. He stuttered, "Oh, well, I..."

"Natsu..." Makarov smirked, beckoning him to come closer with his hand.

"Hmm?" Natsu asked anxiously.

Makarov replied, "I know you've been keeping something from me."

Hovering in front of Makarov, Natsu gulped, "Keeping… something?"

Makarov continued with a sly smile, "About Juvia?"

"Juvia…?" Natsu squeaked.

"In love? Hmm?" Makarov grinned widely.

Natsu started hyperventilating, and finally, he can't take it anymore. He screamed, "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" He pulled Makarov by the beard, "IT WAS ME! I'M TO BLAME!"

Makarov asked incredulously, "What? What are you talking about?"

"I tried to stop her, Your Majesty!" Natsu confessed. "I tried to stop Juvia! But she wouldn't listen! I told her to stay away from humans! They are bad! They are trouble!"

Makarov looked at Natsu in shock. "Humans?" He then yelled with rage, " **WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?!** "

Realizing what he had let out, Natsu slowly tried to inch away from Makarov. "Humans?" he chuckled nervously. "Who said anything about humans?" He then yelped as Makarov grabbed him in one hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, Juvia followed Lucy into the entrance to her grotto. She asked, "Lucy, why can't you just tell me what this is all about?"

"I told you, Juvia, it's a surprise," Lucy smiled, and she gestured towards the middle of the grotto. "Ta-da!"

Juvia's eyes widened at her friend's surprise. In the middle of the grotto was the statue of her precious Prince Gray which had sunk a few days after his birthday ship was wrecked by the storm. There is not a single scratch or crack on it.

"Oh, Lucy…" Juvia breathed, and gave her best friend a hug. "Lucy, you're the best!" She swam up to the statue and asked the yellow blonde-haired fish, "How on Earth did you find this?"

Lucy explained, "I knew you'd like it. I went to a place where the ship sank and found this big statue there. I asked a few friends to bring it here in your grotto. I have a feeling it looks exactly the same as the real one."

Juvia looked over the statue and blushed, "Wow… this is so amazing! Finally, I have something that belonged to him!" She wrapped her arms around the statue's neck and giggled, pretending that it was the real Gray, "Oh, my beloved Gray! Can I run away with you? This is all so... so sudden." She laughed and spun around, but her fun was short lived when she saw Makarov appearing in the doorway, his trident in hand.

"Daddy?" Juvia gasped, surprised to see her father emerging from the shadows, looking angrier then he was before. Lucy fearfully swam off and stopped outside the cave entrance where Natsu, wrought with guilt over confessing his secret, lingered with concerns about what the sea king could do to Juvia.

"I consider myself a reasonable merman," Makarov began. "I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed."

Juvia looked nervously at Makarov, "But Daddy, I—"

Makarov interrupted, "Is it true that you rescued a human from drowning?"

Realizing that Natsu ratted her out, Juvia tried to defend herself, "Daddy, I had to—"

Makarov interrupted again, "Contact between the human world and the merworld is strictly forbidden under any circumstance. You know that, Juvia! Everyone knows that!"

"He would've died," Juvia protested.

"One less human to worry about!" Makarov scoffed.

"You don't even know him!" Juvia cried angrily.

"Know him? I don't have to know him!" Makarov yelled. "They're all the same! The same monsters who took your mother away from us! Spineless, savage, harpooning fish-eaters incapable of any feeling..."

Juvia decided she had enough of the way her father was talking about her prince. She shouted at the top of her voice, " **DADDY, I LOVE HIM!** " She suddenly covered her mouth, realizing what she had just said.

"No!" Makarov gasped in horror at his daughter's outburst. "Have you lost your senses completely?! He's a human! You're a mermaid!"

"I don't care," Juvia said defiantly.

Makarov snapped, "I've done everything I could to keep you safe and away from that wretched surface world, and yet you continue to disobey me! So help me, Juvia, I am going to get through to you. And if **THIS** is the only way… so be it!"

Raising his magical golden trident, he knew the time had come to take drastic measures to keep Juvia away from the surface world. The trident glowed, and he pointed it towards one of the shelves. A glowing beam of light flew towards the shelf, destroying the treasures in that spot.

" **Daddy! No! No, please! DADDY, STOP IT!** " Juvia screamed, her eyes wet with tears upon seeing her treasures shattered. But Makarov didn't stop and continued firing bolts of lightning from his trident. All of the objects inside the grotto, everything on every shelf, ended up destroyed. Juvia swam forward to stop Makarov, and her eyes widened when she saw her father's livid gaze on the statue of Gray. " **DADDY, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** "

But Makarov's anger made him deaf to his daughter's desperate pleas, and he sent a glowing beam towards the statue, shattering it into pieces.

Once the bubbles cleared, Juvia stared wordlessly at the empty walls of her grotto. She leaned over a rock on the grotto's floor and began sobbing. Taking only a brief moment to look at his daughter, Makarov's face softened at the sound of her tears, and he sadly turned and swam out of the grotto.

Once he had left, Natsu and Lucy re-entered the grotto and stopped a short distance from Juvia, who kept on crying. Natsu slowly approached the mermaid and said, "Juvia, I—"

"Just go away," Juvia whimpered. Natsu and Lucy silently respected her wishes and left Juvia alone in the cavern.

Now all alone, Juvia continued to cry among what remained of the treasures she collected from the surface world, the sounds of her sobs echoing around the grotto. She had never felt so miserable in her life; her own father destroyed her entire collection simply because she fell in love with a human. At that moment, Juvia wanted nothing more than to just swim away and never look back.

Just then, the evil eels Jackal and Franmalth appeared near the grotto's entrance, having observed the scene from above. Seeing Juvia in distress, they knew now was the time to put their grand scheme in motion.

"Oh, joy," Jackal sighed, catching Juvia's attention. "The poor child suffers such deep sorrow."

"I'll have to agree with you, Jackal," Franmalth nodded. "It's obvious she has a _very_ serious problem. I wonder how much that problem costs?"

"If only there was something we could do to make it up to her," Jackal added.

Franmalth smiled, "Oh, wait! There _is_ something we could do! Maybe _she_ could be of some help."

"Who... who are you?" Juvia stammered, wiping her tears.

"Don't be scared, honey," Jackal assured. "The name's Jackal, and this is my pal, Franmalth."

Franmalth told Juvia, "We represent someone who can help you. Someone who can make all your dreams come true."

Jackal added, "Just imagine…"

Franmalth added, "You and your prince…"

" _Together forever,_ " the two eels chorused.

"I don't understand," Juvia said, confused.

Franmalth hissed, "Mistress Kyôka has great powers."

Jackal added, "Who will ease all of your woes and worries? More importantly, who will help you get your man? That's right, Mistress Kyôka can!"

Juvia gasped at the very mention of the woman, "Kyôka? The Sea Witch? Daddy told me she got banished a long time ago… He told me her magic is evil… This doesn't feel right… I couldn't possibly… No! Get out of here! Leave me alone!" She angrily turned away from the eels.

"Oh, well. Suit yourself, sweetheart," Jackal replied with a shrug, as he and Franmalth turned to exit the cavern.

"It was only a suggestion. Without costs, anyway," Franmalth added, using his tail to flick what was left of Gray's statue towards her. Juvia picked up the fragment of the statue; the face. No matter how badly the statue maker had shaped Gray's nose, they captured his eyes perfectly.

"Wait!" Juvia called to the eels.

They both turned and smiled at her, "Yes?"


	7. Poor Unfortunate Souls

Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy were waiting outside for Juvia to come out. She said sadly, "Poor Lucy…" Glaring at Natsu, she whacked him on the head with her tail fin.

"OUCH! What'd ya do that for?!" Natsu yelled, rubbing his head.

"You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" Lucy said angrily. "Whatever happened to _not_ telling Juvia's dad?"

"I didn't mean to tell. It was an accident," Natsu explained. "King Makarov cornered me and gave me a scary stare, and I had no choice but to confess. He's as scary as Erza!"

"Natsu, look!" Lucy pointed upwards. She and Natsu saw Juvia swimming off with Jackal and Franmalth.

"Juvia! Wait!" Quickly, Natsu swam up to Juvia, who looked the other way and continued moving past him. "Where are you going? And what are you doing with those strange guys?"

"I'm going to see Kyôka," Juvia replied rigidly.

Natsu gasped in shock and horror at the mention of Kyôka. He shouted hysterically, "Juvia, no! No! Don't do it! That's the name of the evil Sea Witch who tried to take over Fairylantica!" His voice grew loud and frantic, "DON'T GO! Kyôka's a monster! A demon! A WITCH!"

"Why don't you go tell my father?" Juvia snapped. "You're good at that." She continued speeding off after Jackal and Franmalth.

"But... But, I..." Natsu stammered as Lucy appeared next to him.

"What should we do?" Lucy asked.

Even though he knew he had to tell Makarov, Natsu looked towards where Juvia was going, and he decided, "Come on! We're going after her!"

* * *

Juvia was starting to have second thoughts, but she knew this was the only chance she could see her beloved Prince Gray. Upon reaching the cave, she was a little creeped out to see that the entrance was shaped like a lionfish. Jackal and Franmalth sensed Juvia's hesitation and stopped in front of her.

"This way," they hissed, gesturing her to come inside the cave.

Juvia followed them, and she nervously looked around the cave hallway. Attached to the ground below were dozens of moaning polyps that seemed to be scared. One of the polyps managed to wrap itself around her arm, but Juvia managed to get it off, and she swam away from the creepy polyps.

"Come in. Come in, my child," a voice resonated from the big shell at the center of the cave. "We mustn't lurk in doorways. It's rude." The center of the cave looked like a dressing room, except there were shelves on the walls that held magical potions, and a large cauldron at the middle. Jackal and Franmalth stopped in front of the big shell and prepared to make their announcement.

Jackal announced, "Mermaids and mermen and other ocean species, the Undersea Lounge is proud to present…"

Franmalth added, "…the one and only sorceress of the sea, the Goddess of the Slave Ocean…"

The two eels finished their presentation, "…Kyôka!"

Out of the hole of the big shell, the avian violet half-octopus human wearing the white intricate helmet emerged and landed on the ground with her tentacles. She greeted with a courteous smile, "Ah, Princess Juvia! The darling little princess of Fairylantica, and daughter of King Makarov. So nice to finally meet you. My, you're as beautiful as your late mother, Queen Clara."

"You're Kyôka the Sea Witch?" Juvia asked.

Kyôka replied with a nod, "I'm not fond of being called a 'Sea Witch', but yes, I am her. And Kyôka is my name. But you should know better than to ask questions before someone talks. That aside, one might question your upbringing."

Juvia responded, "I've heard lots of stories about you back home. Is it true my father banished you for using black magic on people?"

Kyôka chuckled jokingly, "Oh, that exaggerating father of yours. I can't deny that I used a little 'black magic' here and there, but let me assure you, none of the spells I performed were ever fatal. I only use my magic for the best intentions. For me, for my two eels, and for others. And another thing, the after-effects weren't too detrimental."

"But then, why did you bring me here?" Juvia asked curiously.

Kyôka sat down in front of a large mirror and prepped her hair up, "Juvia, I would think you, of all people, would understand the reason behind my banishment. You and I are so much alike. I could see it from the moment you swam in. We're ambitious girls, you and I, wanting to do something different. Girls who longed to do something more with their lives then abide by the strict rules of a closed-minded ruling class, especially a conservative family. Your daddy gave you a demonstration back at your grotto. Remember?"

Juvia looked down sadly, "You're right about that."

Kyôka grinned, "Now that we're finished reminiscing old times, let's get down to business." She squeezed from a sea shell some kind of foam into her hands like shampoo, and lathered it into her protruded wing-like hair. "You and I both know you're here because you've developed a thing for this human, this prince fellow of yours."

Juvia looked at Kyôka in amazement, "How did you—"

"Darling, I'm a sorceress of the sea. I see all and know all," Kyôka explained. "And I don't blame you one bit. That human prince… He is quite a catch, isn't he?" She added with a snicker.

"He sure is…" Juvia admitted sadly. "I just wish I knew a way for us to be together. I'll do anything. Anything to be with my beloved Gray."

Kyôka puts on some sort of red lipstick from a small clam, as she answered, "Well, now that you mention it, angelfish, the solution to your problem is quite simple." She smacked her lips together to dry the lipstick, "The only way to get what you want… is to become a human yourself."

Juvia asked curiously, "Can you do that?"

Kyôka smiled to herself and swam over to Juvia, "My dear, sweet child... that's what I do. It's what I live for, to help unfortunate merfolk, like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to."

Kyôka: **_I admit that in the past I've been a nasty  
They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch_**

Jackal and Franmalth snickered to themselves.

 ** _But you'll find that nowadays  
I've mended all my ways  
Repented, seen the light, and made a switch  
True? Yes._**

 ** _And I fortunately know a little magic  
It's a talent that I always have possessed_**

Kyôka swam to her cauldron and opened it by motioning her hands.

 ** _And here lately, please don't laugh  
I use it on behalf  
Of the miserable, lonely, and depressed_**

From the cauldron, Kyôka created an image of a very overweight mermaid and a very skinny, wimpy-looking merman, before she turned to Jackal and Franmalth and murmured to them, " _Pathetic._ "

 ** _Poor unfortunate souls  
In pain, in need  
This one longing to be thinner  
That one wants to get the girl  
And do I help them?  
Yes, indeed_**

Kyôka snapped her fingers, and in an instant, the images of the merfolk changed; the merman was muscular, the mermaid was much thinner, and the two swam into each other's arms.

 ** _Those poor, unfortunate souls  
So sad, so true  
They come flocking to my cauldron,  
Crying, "Spells, Kyôka, please!"  
And I help them?  
Yes, I do_**

As Kyôka continued her song, Natsu and Lucy managed to sneak inside the cave unseen.

 ** _Now it's happened once or twice  
Someone couldn't pay the price  
And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em across the coals_**

Kyôka waved her hand, and the two images of the merpeople transformed into polyps, like the ones in the hallway.

 ** _Yes, I've had the odd complaint,  
But on the whole I've been a saint  
To those poor unfortunate souls_**

Kyôka wrapped an arm around Juvia's shoulders and guided her towards the cauldron. She said, "Now, here's the deal. I'll make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days. Got that? Three days. You'll have all the physical characteristics of a human, give or take a few minor details."

Approaching the cauldron, Kyôka continued, "Now listen, this is very important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear old princey to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you. And not just any kiss..." She conjured a crown with a glowing heart under it, "…the kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you'll remain human permanently." She then conjured an image of Juvia walking with human legs, much to the real Juvia's delight. "But if he doesn't, you'll turn back into a mermaid and..." The image then transformed into a small ball of light and returned to the cauldron before it closed. Kyôka finished with a sinister grin, "…you belong... to me!"

"NO, JUVIA! DON'T LISTEN TO—" Natsu tried to yell, but Jackal and Franmalth quickly swam over and wrapped themselves around Natsu and Lucy, silencing them.

"Have we got a deal?" Kyôka asked.

Juvia said in deep thought, "If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters or friends again."

"Oh, that's right!" Kyôka said appealed. "But you'll have your man. Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?" She added with a cackle. "Oh! And there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. You can't get something for nothing, you know."

Juvia began, "But I don't have…"

Kyôka interrupted, closing a tentacle on Juvia's mouth, "No, I'm not asking much. Money isn't in it for me. All I need is something of equal value. Just a token really, a trifle. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is..." She leaned close to Juvia's ear and lowered her voice, "…your voice."

Shocked, Juvia held up a hand to her throat, "My voice?"

"You got it, sweet cakes," Kyôka nodded. "No more talking, singing. Zip!"

"But without my voice, how can I..." Juvia tried to ask.

Kyôka answered, "You've got your looks. Your pretty face! And don't underestimate the importance of body language! Ha!" She danced her body around to make her point, then swam up to a cupboard on the wall and pulled out several different ingredients.

Kyôka: **_The men up there don't like a lot of blabber  
They think a girl who gossips is a bore!  
Yes, on land it's much preferred  
For ladies not to say a word  
And after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?_**

 ** _Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation  
True gentlemen avoid it when they can  
But they dote and swoon and fawn  
On a lady who's withdrawn  
It's she who holds her tongue who gets a man_**

Kyôka began throwing her ingredients into the cauldron. With each ingredient thrown, it creates a small explosive puff.

 ** _Come on, your poor unfortunate soul!  
Go ahead, make your choice!  
I'm a very busy woman, and I haven't got all day  
It won't cost much  
Just your voice!_**

 ** _You poor unfortunate soul  
It's sad, but true_**

Kyôka made a scroll appear and handed Juvia a quill pen.

 ** _If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet,  
You've got to pay the toll  
Take a gulp and take a breath  
And go ahead and sign the scroll_**

 ** _Jackal, Franmalth, now I've got her boys_** (whispering to Jackal and Franmalth)  
 ** _The boss is on a roll!  
This poor un-for-tunate sooooouuulll!_**

Natsu and Lucy's eyes widened in horror as Juvia signed her name on the scroll. Smirking evilly, Kyôka grasped the contract and began chanting a spell.

Kyôka: **_Beluga Sevruga  
Come, winds of the Caspian Sea  
Larynxes Glacydis  
Et max Laryngitis  
La voce to me!_**

Two wispy green hands made of fog appeared, and Kyôka grinned wickedly. She ordered, "Now, sing!"

Juvia began vocalizing, and the wispy green hands neared her.

"Keep singing!" Kyôka screamed. Juvia continued vocalizing, and the wispy hands reached into her throat and pulled out a small glowing ball of light – her voice – before it was sucked into the large gem of Kyôka's helmet sitting directly over her forehead.

Kyôka cackled evilly, and the cauldron glowed and trapped Juvia inside a large spinning bubble. Slowly, Juvia's mermaid tail split in half, forming two long sturdy legs. She was now a human! Noticing that Juvia can't breathe underwater because she's not a mermaid anymore, Natsu and Lucy hastily grabbed Juvia and raced her up to the surface, Kyôka's triumphant laughter resonating with the currents of the sea.


	8. All Washed Up

It was almost noon, and Gray was taking a stroll down to the beach outside his castle, alongside his sheepdog Ur. He leaned against the wall and played a different tune from his flute – the tune of the song the girl sang when she rescued him. In the past few days after he was rescued, Gray led a personal quest all over the kingdom to search for the mystery girl. The ocean was the most likely place the mystery girl would show up.

Gray stopped playing his flute and sighed, "That voice. I can't get it out of my head." Ur gave him a sympathetic whimper, and Gray knelt on the sand to pet her. "I've looked everywhere, Ur. It's been a few days. Where could she be?"

* * *

Meanwhile, a mile from the castle, Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy had washed up on shore, feeling completely exhausted. Natsu pulled himself up onto a small flat rock poking out of the shallow water, with Lucy floating beside him. Juvia, who was resting against a nearby rock, noticed her knees sticking out of the water. She slowly lifted her lower right leg. When she ran her hands over it, she marveled at how soft and smooth her skin was, and started wiggling her toes.

"Well, look what the catfish dragged in!" cried a voice from overhead. Happy the Exceed swooped down with his wings and landed on Juvia's lower right leg. "That's funny, because I'm a cat and not a fish."

Natsu moaned, holding his head in pain, "Do you mind? I'm trying to get a hold of myself."

Happy apologized, "Sorry about that. I'm just a little surprised to see you all here. What's been going on lately?" He turned to Juvia, who smiled widely at him and continued wiggling her toes. "Oh, hey, Juvia! You look great! There's something different about you, I can feel it in my fur. Wait, don't tell me." He thought for a moment, and said, "Did you do something with your hair? You got a new hairdo? I bet you used the dinglehopper on it!"

Juvia shook her head and crossed one leg over the other. "No? Well, let me think for a second… New seashells?" Happy guessed, before noticing she was wearing the same blue seashells she always wore. "No new seashells." Juvia jiggled her lower leg, trying to make her friend notice her new appearance, but to no avail. "I can't put my foot on it, but if I just stand here long enough—"

" **SHE'S GOT LEGS, YOU BIRDBRAIN!** " Natsu yelled, irritated by Happy's clueless behavior. "She traded her voice to Kyôka the Sea Witch and got legs." He smacked his forehead in annoyance, "Geez, even a seven-year old kid can see that!"

"I knew that," Happy replied coolly. "So how did she come this way?" Knowing she couldn't answer, Juvia attempted to stand up.

Lucy explained, "To make the long story short, Juvia traded her voice to Kyôka and turned into a human. She's gotta get Prince Gray to fall in love with her, and he's gotta kiss her."

"And she's only got three days!" Natsu added. "Otherwise, she'll end up being one of Kyôka's pet slaves!" Juvia lost her balance and fell back into the water, as Natsu continued, "Just look at her! On legs! ON HUMAN LEGS! This is the disaster of all disasters! What would her father say? I'll tell you what her father'd say... He'd say, 'I'm gonna kill myself a crab!' That's what her father'd say!"

Lucy suggested, "Look, why don't we just try to find Gray and—"

"NO!" Natsu panicked. "I've stuck my nose long enough for her, and look where it's gotten her! Worst of all, ME! King Makarov will make chowder out of me for this! That's it! I'm gonna march myself straight home right now and tell him just like I should've done this minute…"

Juvia, who managed to stand upright, scooped Natsu up into her hands at his next sentence and shook her head frantically. "…and don't you shake your head at me!" Natsu shouted, before he calmed down, "Maybe there's still time. If we could somehow get Kyôka to give you back your voice, you could go back home to the ocean with all the normal fish and just be... just be..."

Natsu stopped when he noticed the face Juvia was giving him. Her naturally large sapphire eyes were massive as she gave him her best puppy-dog eyes, her lower lip trembling slightly. Natsu sighed, unable to stand the puppy-dog eyes, "…just be miserable for the rest of your life. Do you really wanna do this?"

Lucy swam up next to Natsu and placed a comforting fin on his shoulder. She said, "Natsu, I know you're mad over this whole situation, but I really think Juvia needs your help this time. Who else does she have to turn to?"

Natsu looked back at Juvia and sighed heavily, unable to believe what he was about to say, "All right, all right... If that's what you want. I'll try to help you win over that prince." Juvia's face lit up and she kissed the salmon crab on the cheek, before placing him back on the rock he was sitting on before. He mumbled to himself, "Boy, what a soft shell I'm turning out to be."

"Okay, Juvia, here's the plan. If you want to be a human, the first thing you gotta do is to dress like one," Happy told Juvia, and grabbed some rope and an old sail from the beach. "Now, let me see…"

* * *

Down on the other side of the beach, Gray was strolling along with Ur. He was feeling sorry for himself at not being able to find the girl he had fallen in love with. At that moment, Ur noticed something and sniffed. Something about the air smelt familiar. Realizing that the scent lingering in the air was from Gray's mystery girl, she began bouncing around, barking excitedly.

"Ur? What is it? Huh?" Gray asked confusedly. Ur noticed that her master didn't understand what she was trying to tell him, so she charged off in the direction the mystery girl's scent was coming from. "Ur! Wait up!" Gray called, running after his dog.

* * *

Happy remarked at Juvia, "Wow! You look sensational!" The Exceed had done his best to cloth Juvia by wrapping the sail around her body and tying the rope to keep the sail in place. Lucy was amazed at Juvia's new look, but Natsu wasn't. They were interrupted by the sound of barking. Lucy gasped and swam below the surface, while Natsu ducked for cover in a small sail. Ur appeared from behind some tall rocks not too far away, panting happily. Barking excitedly, she charged towards Juvia, who climbed on top of a large rock sticking out of the sand. She stood up on her paws and licked Juvia's cheek.

"Ur?" a voice called from nearby. Juvia looked up just in time to see none other than Prince Gray – the man of her dreams – appear on the beach. Ur ran to her master, barking happily. "Wait up!" She continued bouncing all over the place, trying to get Gray to notice the girl just meters away.

"What's gotten into you, girl?" Gray asked, before noticing Juvia watching them. Ur ran over to her, and Gray realized what she was barking about. "Oh, now I get it."

Juvia quickly fixed her hair as Gray approached her. "Are you okay, miss?" He asked, ruffling his dog's fur. "I'm sorry if this birdbrain scared you. She's harmless, really. She's just a bit... uh..." He then paused and finally got a good look at Juvia. Her blue hair rested roughly on her hips, and she had the most beautiful sapphire eyes he had ever seen. Now that he thought about it, all in all she looked extremely familiar.

"You look... very familiar to me," Gray stated. "Have we met?" Juvia nodded eagerly and Ur barked cheerfully.

"We _have_ met?" Gray clarified, gently pushing Ur aside, before receiving another small nod from Juvia. His eyes lit up and he smiled widely, taking her hands in his. "I knew it! It's you! You're the one! The one I've been looking for! What's your name?"

Juvia opened her mouth and tried to tell him her name, but remembered she could no longer talk when no sound passed through her lips. "What's wrong?" Gray asked. Juvia tapped her throat in response. "You can't speak?" She shook her head sadly. "Oh… then you can't be who I thought," Gray said sadly.

Both Ur and Juvia sighed in annoyance, before Juvia got an idea. She started making various hand gestures, even going so far as to imitate Kyôka taking her voice, giving Gray a confused look. He asked, "What is it? You're hurt? You're hungry? You need help?" Juvia tried making her gestures larger and more erratic, but ended up losing her balance and fell from the rock.

"Whoa, careful!" Gray cried, catching the ex-mermaid in his arms. She tried to stand upright, but kept wobbling as she tried to gain her balance, holding onto Gray's trenchcoat to steady herself. "Careful. Easy, easy."

Juvia looked sadly at Gray, then turned away as her face blushed with embarrassment. How was she supposed to get her beloved prince to fall in love with her if she can't speak? Seeing the sad look on her face, Gray realized that this girl needs help, and he couldn't help but feel a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering in his stomach every time he sees her.

Gray pointed out, "Looks like you've been through a whole lot lately. Don't worry. I'll help you." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began leading her to his castle. "Come on, you'll be okay." Juvia quickly glanced back towards the water, where Lucy and Happy were giving her the thumbs up. Ur barked merrily and trotted beside her master.

The time has now come to commence the three days of love.


	9. Les Poissons

Up at the palace, Juvia was taking a bubble bath inside a large golden bathtub. Shortly after arrival, Gray had summoned his chief handmaiden Sherry Blendy and explained the situation to her. She was given orders to take care of Juvia and make her as comfortable as possible. The first order of business was to give Juvia a nice bubble bath.

Smiling, the ex-mermaid relaxed in the nice, hot, soapy water. She scooped some bubbles into her hands and gently blew them into the air. She was pleasantly surprised that the bathwater, instead of being cold and salty, was warm and full of sweet smelling oil. To Juvia, this was but one of many things to discover in the human world.

Sherry mused, pouring a bucket of fresh water over Juvia's head, "Imagine that… A poor, sweet girl washed up from a shipwreck! All you need is some shampoo, soap, and a lot of love. You'll look so squeaky clean, no one will recognize you."

The door opened and one of the handmaidens, Sherry's cousin Chelia, came in carrying a bundle of towels. She said, "Here are the towels you asked for, Cousin Sherry. I also picked a neat outfit on the bed in the guest room."

Sherry nodded with a smile, "Always a good job for everything." She went to the sink to wash her hands and grab a comb.

Chelia looked curiously at Juvia, and then turned to Sherry, "So, what's the story with this girl? Where's she from? How does she know Prince Gray?"

Sherry shrugged, "No clue. She can't even say a single word. I wonder why she's mute?"

"I bet she's a princess!" Chelia assumed. "She's 100% princess material, I can tell. A princess from a royal house somewhere far away!"

Sherry smiled, "Alright, Chelia, enough pop quizzes for the day. Time to clean her up."

"Yes, ma'am!" Chelia saluted, and she joined Sherry to help clean up Juvia. Sherry was combing Juvia's hair, while Chelia was wiping her body.

"Feels much better, doesn't it?" Sherry asked. "Don't worry, a scrub on the back, some new clothes, and a perfume of love will make you feel fresh as a daisy."

Natsu, who was still hiding in the sail, peaked out, but gasped and hid back when Chelia reached out to grab it.

"In the meantime, I'm gonna get your old clothes washed up for you, in case you wanna wear them again," Chelia suggested, before she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "What kind of dress is this? That girl's got a weird fashion sense." Mistaking the old sail Juvia wore at the beach as a piece of clothing, she took it and left the room to take it to the laundry room.

* * *

Natsu was not having a good day. He spluttered against the water as one of the laundry maids, Beth Vanderwood, threw the sail into a bucket of soapy water.

"You must've at least heard about this new girl," Beth said to her fellow laundry maids Araña Webb and Risley Law, scrubbing the cloth against the washboard along with Natsu, shaking him like a cheese shredder in the process. "Does anybody around here know who she is?"

"We have no idea," Araña shook her head. "Although, what Chelia suggested, she has the characteristics and appearance of a princess. For all I know, she has a little bit of a royal flair."

"A princess?" Risley asked. "As in, a beautiful princess from far away?"

Beth scoffed, "Since when's a bubbly girl named Chelia ever gotten anything right?"

"Hey, ladies—" Natsu tried to speak, but was scrubbed again along with the sail.

Araña replied, "Well, if the new girl's not a princess, she's not the one for Prince Gray. And if he's ever looking for one, I know a couple of very highly available ones down here." She flicked her long curly green hair in a flirty manner to make her point.

The three maids giggled, while Beth pulled the old sail out of the bucket. Natsu hiccuped, some bubbles floating out of his mouth. Shaking his head vigorously, the salmon crustacean hopped out of the sail and leaped into the pocket of a shirt hanging on a clothesline above. He scurried along the clothes and jumped onto a windowsill, his fleeing away from the maids his main priority.

Natsu fell off the other side of the windowsill onto a wooden bench. After pushing himself up, he gasped, seeing that he was in the worst room of a human castle a crab could be in; the dreaded kitchen. Everywhere he turned, poor Natsu saw knife-sliced fish and pots where the fish was being cooked. Even worse, he saw a plate full of stuffed crabs! Unable to take any more, he passed out.

* * *

In the dining room, Gray and Lyon sat at the table, talking about Juvia. Lyon asked, "So, you found her lying on the beach by herself?"

Gray nodded, leaning his arm, "Yeah. She must've washed up from a shipwreck or something. I can't tell if she's a princess from a faraway land or a maiden from a different place."

"How intriguing," Lyon rubbed his chin. "Is she pretty?"

"Prettier than some of the types I've seen around here. And she's very cheery and excitable, too," Gray smiled, standing up from his chair and heading to the window. "You should've seen her face when I first brought her here. Her eyes practically lit up the place." He then sighed, his thoughts focused on the mystery girl, "They're so beautiful, they reminded me of…"

Lyon sighed in disappointment, "You're still thinking about that mystery girl? How many times do we have to go through this?"

Gray stood and the window and retorted, "I don't care what it takes, Lyon! I'm still finding her!"

"Try to be reasonable for once in your life, Gray," Lyon insisted. "Real women just don't swim around rescuing people in the middle of the ocean, then flitter off into oblivion like some sort of—"

"I'm tellin' ya. She was real! I'm gonna find that girl," Gray interrupted, briefly looking away from the window. He then turned back to look through the glass panels, "And when I do, I'm gonna marry her."

"C'mon, sweetie! Don't be shy!" The sound of Sherry's laughter filled the hall outside, and Gray turned to see Sherry guiding Juvia into the room. As she slowly stepped in, Gray's eyes widened and his mouth hung slightly open. Juvia was wearing a navy blue coat with a fur shawl attached to it, as well as a Russian Cossack hat. On top of that, Sherry had neatly combed her hair straight, letting it fall in thick waves past her shoulders.

Lyon remarked with a chuckle, "She's absolutely breathtaking! Such a vision of beauty, wouldn't you agree?"

"Uh, you... you look beautiful," Gray stammered slightly. Juvia, unable to say 'thank you', replied with a gentle blush.

"Come, my dear, you must be famished. Let me get your seat for you," Lyon said, and he began leading her towards one of the dining room chairs. Gray tucked the chair under the table as Juvia sat down.

"There we go. Comfortable?" Lyon smiled as he and Gray made their way to their chairs and sat down. "It's not often we have such a lovely dinner guest, eh, Gray?" he winked at Gray.

Juvia wasn't playing attention anymore. She was too intrigued by the glistening silver fork, the 'dinglehopper', resting on the table. With a wide smile, she picked up the shiny object and began brushing her hair with it. She smiled at Gray, but quickly put the 'dinglehopper' back on the table when she saw the shocked looks on Gray and Lyon's faces. She began chewing nervously on her lower lip, until she saw Lyon holding his pipe-sized bubble blower, otherwise known as the 'snarfblatt'.

"Do you like it?" Lyon smiled kindly at Juvia, and handed her his bubble blower. "It's a bubble blower, the most popular souvenir in the kingdom. I brought my first bubble blower when I traveled to—" He stopped mid-sentence when Juvia blew really hard on the pipe as if it was a trumpet, sending a stream of bubbles spurting out of the top and straight into his face. " **MY FACE!** " he screamed, holding his face wet with bubbles.

Juvia shrunk back to her seat, even more embarrassed than before. Gray, meanwhile, trying to cover his mouth, cracked up with laughter as he looked at Lyon's bubble-smothered face.

Sherry exclaimed with a giggle, "Oh, my!"

Gray cleared his throat, trying to regain composure, "Sorry, Lyon."

"Why, Gray," Sherry smiled, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. "That's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks."

Gray smiled back, "Well, you have to admit, it was a pretty good shot." He turned to Juvia, who instantly perked up and smiled back.

Lyon wiped his face with a napkin and replied, "Oh, yeah. Sure. That was almost amusing." He turned to Sherry, "Sherry, my dear, what do we have for dinner today?"

Sherry grinned, "Oh, you're gonna love it! Chef Sol's been fixing his specialty: stuffed crab!"

 **Back in the kitchen…**

Natsu peeked his head out from behind a jar, and his face widened in horror upon seeing the head of the dreaded kitchen. He's a slim man of average height with a tiny, pointy mustache and green hair pointing upwards, his right eye hidden by a monocle, and he wears a brown tuxedo with a short cape attached to both of his elbows, linking them. His name was Sol, the castle chef. He rummaged through a cupboard, singing in French to himself.

Sol: **_Nouvelle cuisine  
Les Champs-Elysées_** _  
_ _ **Maurice Chevalier**_

Sol chuckled, and continued singing as he prepared the fish… in the most torturous way that Natsu had ever seen.

Sol: **_Les poissons, les poissons,  
How I love les poissons!  
Love to CHOP, and to serve little fish_**

 ** _First I cut off their heads  
Then I pull out their bones  
Ah, mais oui, ça c'est toujours delish_**

 ** _Les poissons, les poissons  
Hee-hee-hee! haw-haw-haw!  
With a cleaver, I hack them in two!_**

 ** _I pull out what's inside  
And I serve it up fried  
'Cause I love little fishes! Don't you?_**

Natsu, who had heard each word and seen every action of Sol's song, desperately ran around the kitchen, trying to find a way out. Spotting a large lettuce leaf, Natsu grabbed the leaf and used it to cover himself as the chef continued singing.

 ** _Here's something for tempting the palate  
Prepared in the classic technique  
First, you POUND the fish flat with a mallet  
Then you slash off their skin  
Give their belly a slice  
Then you rub some salt in  
'Cause that makes it taste nice!_**

Natsu's worst fear was confirmed when the cook reached out and grabbed the lettuce leaf, leaving him exposed. The small crab kept perfectly still as the chef exclaimed, " _Zut alors!_ I have missed one!" Sol picked up the 'dead' crab and continued singing.

Sol: **_Sacrebleu! What is this?  
How on Earth could I miss  
Such a sweet, little succulent crab?_**

 ** _Quel Domage, what a loss  
Here we go, in the sauce  
Now some flour, I think just a dab_**

Sol tossed Natsu into a bowl of sauce and threw a handful of flour in his face, before pulling him out and stuffing some filling in his shell.

 ** _Now I'll stuff you with bread..._** _  
_ _ **It don't hurt, 'cause you're dead  
And you're certainly lucky you are**_

Natsu pushed the filling out of his shell and let out a brief sneeze. Sol didn't notice that the crab in his hand was still alive.

 ** _'Cause it's gonna be hot  
In my big silver pot  
Tout-aloo, mon poisson, au revoir!_**

Sol threw Natsu across the room into a large pot of boiling water. "OUCH! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Natsu yelped, as he chucked himself out of the pot, and landed on a nearby bench with a loud thud. Sol, hearing the 'thud', turned and walked over to the bench.

The chef picked up the crab and carefully inspected it, "What is this?"

Natsu swiftly reached out his claws and snapped them shut around the chef's nose. Sol yelled out in pain as he dropped the crab. Natsu ended up on the handle of a pan on the stove. Sol reached for the crab, but instead put his hand on the fiery hot stove. The chef screamed in agony and blew on his hand as the pan fell onto his foot.

Sol grabbed his foot and cried in pain again, before sending Natsu an angry glare. He growled, "I'll get you for this, you pesky _crustacé!_ " he growled, before he grabbed a bunch of knives and hurled them at the crab.

" ** _MORT AU CRABE!_** " Sol screamed in thunderous French. Holding his mallet in hand, he leaped at the set of shelves. And then…

 **In the dining room…**

Sherry, who was pouring drinks for Gray, Lyon, and Juvia, looked in the direction of the kitchen at the sound of a large crash. She said, "Uh, I think I'd better go see what Sol is up to..." Once she had excused herself, she hurriedly made her way to the palace kitchen.

 **In the kitchen…**

Sol, with his clothes ripped, continued to turn the kitchen upside down in search of Natsu. " **COME OUT, YOU LITTLE PIPSQUEAK, AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!** " he screamed furiously, before continuing to tear apart a cupboard.

" **SOL!** " Sherry yelled from the doorway. " **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!** "

"Uh… well, I was just, uh… I'm sorry, madame," Sol spluttered, before giving Sherry an exaggerated grin.

Sherry groaned, picking up the plates will small metal domes on top off a nearby bench, and storming out the kitchen.

 **In the dining room…**

"You know, Gray..." Lyon started, setting his glass back on the table as Sherry placed their dinner plates in front of them. "Perhaps it may be a good time to ask our guest if she would like to see the sights of the kingdom. Something in the way of a tour, I think."

Gray simply sat there, staring at Juvia with a love-struck expression on his face. Realizing that Lyon said something to him, he snapped out of his daze. Gray let out a small chuckle and said, "Sorry, Lyon. What was that?"

Lyon leaned over to Gray and insisted, "You can't just spend all your time moping about! You need to get out, do something, get your mind off things."

When Lyon lifted the metal dome off his plate to reveal none other than Natsu sitting in the middle, Juvia was shocked. While Gray and Lyon were distracted talking to each other, Juvia beckoned Natsu to come hide on her lap. The salmon crab didn't hesitate to scurry across the table and hop onto Juvia's lap.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea. If she's interested," Gray replied, before turning to Juvia, who quickly hid Natsu in her pocket. "Well, what do ya say?" Juvia looked up and smiled at him as he continued, "Would you like to join me on a tour of my kingdom tomorrow?" The sapphire-haired girl nodded eagerly.

Lyon nodded, "Alright, let's eat before this crab wanders off my plate." But it just did. He looked down confusedly at his crab-less plate.

* * *

It was night by the time Juvia returned to her room. She smiled dreamily as she watched Gray playing with Ur from her window. Gray knelt on the ground, and the sheepdog ran and leapt on him with enough strength to push him onto his back. Gray growled playfully at Ur as she pinned him down. He looked up and smiled when he saw the young sapphire-haired girl he found on the beach that day watching him. He waved at her, and she waved back, before she slipped further back into her room.

Gray's eyes sparkled as his smile widened. He was actually really looking forward to taking her around his kingdom tomorrow, and could only hope that she felt the same way. Juvia smiled as she brushed her hair with her fork.

Natsu, on the other hand, wasn't happy after that escapade from Chef Sol. He grumbled, dusting himself off, "This has got to be, without a doubt, the single, most humiliating day of my life. Nearly being cooked alive, getting chased by a chef! I hope you appreciate what I go through for you, Juvia."

Juvia placed her fork down on the table, before walking over to her bed. She crawled under the covers and nuzzled her head into the pillow, before giving Natsu a look that he knew meant 'thank you.'

Natsu slightly shrugged and smiled, "Ah, well. At least you got Gray to like you. This time, we've got to come up with a plan to get him to kiss you. Tomorrow, when he takes you for that ride, you gotta look your best. You gotta bat your eyes, like this…" he demonstrated by fluttering his eyebrows. "You gotta pucker up your lips, like this..." he began another demonstration by sticking his lips up.

But then, he realized that Juvia was already fast asleep. Natsu chuckled and blew out the candle on the bedside closet. He hopped onto the pillow, before he smiled, "You're a hopeless girl, you know that? Completely hopeless…" With a yawn, he fell asleep alongside Juvia.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Fairylantica, King Makarov was anxiously pacing the throne room, waiting for news on Juvia's whereabouts. Just then, Wendy the Seahorse swam up behind him.

"Any sign of them?" Makarov asked desperately.

"No, Your Majesty," Wendy replied sadly. "We searched everywhere. We haven't found a trace of Princess Wendy or Composer Natsu."

Makarov ordered, "Well, keep looking. Leave no shell unturned, no coral unexplored. Let no one in this kingdom sleep until she's safe at home."

"Yes, sire," Wendy bowed, before swimming off.

Makarov slowly sat in his throne, his eyes welling up with tears. "Oh, what have I done? What have I done?"


	10. A Day in Lamia Scale Town

The next morning, a soft, steady knocking on her door pulled Juvia from her sleep. Stretching, she looked at Natsu sleeping beside her and gently shook his shell. She hated to wake him, especially after everything he had done for her, but it would probably be best to continue keeping him out of sight from the oblivious kingdom folk.

"Huh…? W-What is it?" Natsu mumbled as he slowly woke up.

Juvia climbed out of bed and quickly hid Natsu in a cupboard. Once the salmon crab was put out of sight, the door opened to reveal Sherry holding out Juvia's blue navy coat.

"Rise and shine, sweetie!" Sherry greeted. "Today's the day you and Prince Gray will go on a tour around the kingdom. I have your clothes right here."

Juvia curtsied as she took the dress and went to change in the bathroom, while Sherry was fixing the bed sheets. After a few minutes, Juvia emerged wearing her blue navy coat, and Natsu hastily darted out of the cupboard. Thankfully, Sherry didn't notice, so Juvia took the chance to slip him into the safety of her pocket.

"Alright then, let's go down for breakfast," Sherry said.

 **And so…**

Juvia followed the maid down to the dinner hall, where Lyon was already waiting.

"Ah, good morning, my dear," Lyon smiled, turning away from the window to help her with her chair. Glancing across the table, she saw a whole range of foods she had never seen before, yet strangely enough, somewhat resembled the breakfast seafood she had at home. Lyon sat down and stared feeding himself, while Sherry placed a hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"What would like to eat first, honey?" Sherry asked.

What _would_ she like to eat first? She stared at the selection of food once more, before giving Sherry a look that meant she wasn't sure. Sherry smiled, "That's alright. You can eat as much as you want." Taking Juvia's plate, she filled it with food and set it back down. With a grateful nod, the ex-mermaid started eating.

Just then, Juvia couldn't help but look at the empty chair beside her. Did Gray had an early breakfast? Or was he organizing the trip around town?

Sherry also stared at the chair, and asked Lyon, "Lyon, has Gray come back yet?"

Lyon shook his head, spreading some butter across his toast, "I think not. He didn't even tell me where he was going, or wait long enough to grab something to eat."

Sherry sighed, glancing at the food on the table, "Lots of food uneaten… If it's not eaten soon, it will go to waste."

Lyon replied, "At least there's plenty to share. Please, join us."

Sherry grinned, "Plenty to share? I'd love to!" She took a seat next to Juvia and began serving herself. There was a firm knock from the hall, and the three turned to see a guard named Toby Horhorta standing at attention in the doorway.

Toby announced, "The carriage is ready, Lyon, sir." Lyon made a sound in approval, but couldn't properly respond with his mouth full.

"That's great!" Sherry beamed, clapping her hands together. "Now all we need is a prince to get this tour on the road… wherever he is."

Juvia once again gazed at the empty chair. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a secret to share.

* * *

The ocean breeze licked at Gray's skin, toying with both his and his dog's hair as they sat at the top of the hill. They were in the royal cemetery just outside town, which just happened to overlook the ocean, and the particular hill they were on has full exposure to the view and its winds. Gray tugged his trenchcoat closer to his body. The breeze itself wasn't too bad, but he'd been up there since about 6:45 A.M., slightly over two hours.

Gray's eyes gazed upon one particular large gravestone at the center – the gravestone of his late father, King Silver Fullbuster. Ur nuzzled herself closer to her master to comfort him, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

As far as Gray can remember, the young sheepdog had been a gift from King Silver for his 6th birthday. He may only be a few months old, but Ur was smart enough to know that King Silver wasn't just Gray's father… He was his best friend, his wise teacher, and his role model. Aside from that, Silver was a great master of Ice-Make Magic, and shortly after Gray's 12th birthday, he took his son under his wing and taught him the art of Ice-Make Magic. He became an impressive fighter after two years of training. And that fateful day, King Silver sacrificed his life to win the war against the invaders of Tartaros, and the kingdom created a large gravestone in his likeness. Written on the words of the gravestone were "Silver Fullbuster, Our Beloved King, A Great Father to His Son, and a True Hero."

Stroking Ur's head, Gray took a deep breath and stared at his father's gravestone. He sighed, brushing away his tears, "I wish you were here, Dad… You've never given me a piece of bad advice, and I'm just so confused right now. That girl… That voice… I've looked everything, but I just can't find her…" He then began to smile, "…but I did find someone else. That girl with blue hair just appeared on the beach without saying a word. I have to admit, she's quite beautiful, but unusual. Like last night, she came to dinner and started brushing her hair with her fork, and then she blew Lyon's bubble blower, mistaking it for a trumpet. It's like she has absolutely no knowledge of our way of life. And the weirdest thing of all… is that there's something so familiar about her…" He stroked his chin, "But I just can't figure out what."

Grumbling, Ur rolled her eyes and thought to herself, " _Of course she's familiar, Einstein! She's the girl who saved your life!"_

Gray chuckled, not noticing his dog's reaction, and added with a smirk, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that she's our little mermaid…"

"There you are!" a voice cried, and it belonged to one of the castle guards, Sue. "We've been looking all over for you! You gotta get ready for your tour, or your girl's gonna be awful sore!"

"Alright, I'm coming," Gray nodded with a smile, having found the strength he needed to spend time with Juvia. Before he left, he turned to his father's gravestone one last time, "I'd better go. I promised to take her around town today. See ya, Dad." With that, he started following Sue to the carriage.

* * *

A few minutes upon returning to the castle, Gray escorted Juvia out towards the main gate where a carriage pulled by a horse awaited. "I think you're really gonna like where we're going. Lamia Scale Town's got some of the best food, shopping, entertainment and stuff. Let's hope we'll catch a show while we're there. Ready to go?"

Juvia nodded, and the two boarded the carriage. Gray whipped the reins, causing the horse to walk forward. The front gates opened and the carriage raced off down the path to town.

* * *

As the carriage traveled, Juvia saw the sights and sounds of Lamia Scale Town and pointed excitedly at the buildings, shops, and houses around it. Indeed, the human world was more than she had ever dreamed before and it elated her to have the good fortune of being the first mermaid to visit this strange and wondrous land.

Meanwhile, Happy the Exceed flew over Gray's carriage, with Natsu standing on top of it. Happy asked, "Did he kiss her yet?"

Natsu whispered back, "Not yet. They just started."

"Furs and whiskers…" Happy groaned, and he flew away from the carriage.

* * *

Even after disembarking from the carriage, Juvia discovered more new fascinating things as Gray guided her around town on foot. Some of the things Gray was kind enough to buy her, such as a miniature ice statue, a Silver Fullbuster action figure, and a bag of fruits.

Soon enough, lunchtime rolled around. Gray offered, "I'm gonna get us some lunch, okay?"

Seeing her nod, Gray entered the bakery. Juvia stood beside him, watching what he was doing, before something caught her eye. Leaving Gray behind, she walked up to a giant mosaic built into a wall nearby. The mosaic pictured a tall muscular man with black hair similar to Gray's, and he was wearing a suit of armor with a cape and a message on the chestplate bearing the writing, "Absolute Zero." Beside him was a beautiful woman with long black hair dressed in an elegant gown. Between the man and woman stood sat a small boy, who Juvia recognized immediately as a young Gray.

"Got you a cheese sandwich," Gray smiled, handing Juvia the food. "Hope you like it."

Juvia gladly took it, and the two sat on a bench and started eating. Once they finished, she tugged at his sleeve and pointed questioningly at the mosaic.

"That's me and my parents, King Silver and Queen Mika," Gray explained, guiding her towards the mosaic. "When I was twelve, my dad taught me how to use Ice-Make Magic. See?" To demonstrate, he clasped his hands and a light blue mist of ice glowed from them. When Gray opened his hands, a miniature ice swan appeared in his right palm. Juvia's eyes glistened with amazement to see that Gray was not only a handsome prince, but a practitioner of magic as well.

Gray continued, "My dad died in battle with Tartaros when I was fourteen, and my mom joined her a few months back because to an illness. They've gone to a better place…"

Juvia felt a pain inside her chest, knowing all too well what it was like to lose someone in your life. If only she had her voice back, she would tell him how sorry she felt. But at this point, she could make her actions speak louder than words. She slowly walked up to the mosaic and placed a hand over Queen Mika's heart, looking at him over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Gray asked, standing beside her.

Juvia turned to face him with a sad smile and tapped her own heart, hoping he would understand. "You lost yours, too? Your mom?" When she nodded, Gray smiled and gave an understanding nod, "Thanks. I guess we're in the same boat, huh?"

Juvia's only reply was a nod with a blush around her cheeks. Gray asked again, "So, where would you like to go now?"

The young sapphire-haired girl looked around the crowded square. There were a number of houses and shops undiscovered. With so much to see and do, she was faced with the same problem she faced at breakfast. But this time, she was determined to see them for herself, and she won't rest until she explored every single one.

The tour around the kingdom continues.

 **Many hours passed…**

It was late afternoon by the time they decided to head back to the carriage. Juvia was enthralled by all of the sights she had seen; the food, the entertainment sections, the shops, the library, the lively music, the parties, and the happy townsfolk. But her most favorite part was when she had her first dance with Gray in the town plaza music festival. After all, Juvia wanted to see how a human can dance on feet, and dancing was number one on her list of things she wanted to discover on the surface world.

When the carriage passed through the gate that led outside town, Lucy emerged from the water under the stone bridge.

Happy flew downward and asked Lucy, "Did he kiss her yet?"

Lucy shook her head, "Nope. Not yet."

"Crud," Happy moaned. "Well, they better get crackin'."

Outside Lamia Scale Town and into the forest, Juvia silently asked Gray if it was her turn to ride the carriage. Not wanting to argue, Gray handed her the reins. She cracked them, and all of a sudden, the horse sped crazily around the forest like crazy! When the horse jumped over a cliff and safely landed down, Gray couldn't help but smile at Juvia's newly-found handiwork.


	11. Kiss the Girl

It was evening when Juvia and Gray stopped by the river. The crazy carriage ride across the forest had left them weary and hungry, so they decided to have an evening picnic before heading back to the castle, using the food they bought at the shops. After they were done eating, Gray noticed a dock downstream with a couple of rowboats. Gray decided it was the proper time to let Juvia enjoy a nice trip across the river. Juvia's only comply was a blush and a smile.

As they rowed their boat through the river, they passed a giant tree. Not too far away from the tree, Happy and Lucy bobbed in the water, watching Juvia and Gray.

"So what's happening now?" Lucy asked.

"Same as before… absolutely nothing," Happy sighed in frustration. "This is getting frustrating. Only one day left, and those two haven't puckered up once! How is she—"

"Psst! You guys here?" a voice whispered. It came from Natsu, who was standing on the side of the rowboat. "It's me, Natsu."

Happy cheered, "Hey, Natsu. Nice of you to join us. How were things?"

Natsu shook his head, "Nothing, really. I've been inside Juvia's pocket for a long time, and there's still no kissing yet."

"Eh, no biggie. They just had a rough getaway," Happy shrugged, and then he came up with an idea. "Leave this one to me! If all else fails, the Love Doctor's here to brighten the atmosphere. This calls for a little romantic stimulation." Standing on a tree branch, Happy cleared his throat and began his irritating meow-singing, which is loud enough for Gray, Juvia, and Natsu to hear.

Gray commented on Happy's not-so-romantic voice, "Wow. Some animals have no taste in song. Somebody should find it and put it out of its misery."

Happy's meow-singing increased, and he winked at Juvia. She smacked her head in annoyance, thinking that his awful voice was ruining the atmosphere. Natsu, on the other hand, clamped his claws to his head, having heard enough.

"Ah, geez! I'm surrounded by amateurs!" Natsu muttered under his breath. Diving into the sea, he grabbed a piece of sea leaves, "If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself." He gathered a group of animals, "First, we've got to create… _the mood._ " The animals all smiled, eager to help. "Percussion?"

Natsu used the sea leaf as a baton. A few baby turtles settled themselves, allowing some ducks to drum on their shells.

"Strings?"

A group of crickets curled the ends of their legs, creating sounds like violins.

"Winds?"

On cue, the winds blew on the broken bamboo leaves, creating majestic sounds.

"Words."

Leaning closer to Gray's ear on a flower, Natsu began to sing.

Natsu: **_There you see her  
Sitting there across the way  
She don't got a lot to say  
But there's something about her_**

Gray was suddenly surprised. Why would someone come out here _just_ to sing for them?

 ** _And you don't know why  
But you're dyin' to try  
You wanna kiss the girl_**

"Did you hear something?" Gray asked, hoping it wasn't just his imagination. Juvia also noticed Natsu's singing, but simply looked over her shoulder and shook her head with a smile. Natsu continued his song, with the animals joining in.

Natsu: **_Yes, you want her  
Look at her, you know you do_**

Every time Gray heard those strange voices, he couldn't get his eyes off her. Strange as it was, it was beginning to seem like she got more and more beautiful every time he looked at her.

 ** _Possible she wants you to  
There is one way to ask her_**

 ** _It don't take a word_** _  
_ _ **Not a single word  
Go on and kiss the girl**_

Clinging to the edge of the rowboat with one claw, Natsu beckoned to the small crowd of animals listening in below, "Sing with me now." With that, a group of frog vocalized standing on the oar.

Natsu and Animals: **_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my, oh, my  
Look at the boy too shy  
Ain't gonna kiss the girl_**

Gray sighed softly, knowing the voices in his head were right. He was fond of her for certain, but he simply didn't have the guts to take such a big risk.

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?_** **  
** ** _Ain't it a shame? Too bad  
He gonna miss the girl_**

Juvia and Gray listened to the music and were starting to relax.

"You know, I feel really bad not knowing your name," Gray admitted. It was true; it felt so strange just calling her the 'mysterious sapphire-haired girl' or the 'silent beauty.'

"Maybe I can guess…" Gray rubbed his chin, "Is it Mildred?" Moments later, he bursts out laughing as Juvia made a face of utter disgust, "Okay, no! How about, Rachel? Melina?" Juvia shook her head a few times, and Gray began thinking for another suggestion.

"Juvia. Her name is Juvia," the strange voice whispered urgently.

"Juvia…?" Gray mumbled to himself. Where did that come from? Was that even a real name? Apparently it was, because the silent beauty in front of him lit up and nodded her head with a smile.

"Juvia?" Gray repeated hopefully. Receiving another confirming nod, he smiled, saying the name over in his mind. That's a very unusual name, but that was part of why it suited her. It had a beautifully mystical quality about it, which fit perfectly with her adventurous spirit, her undeniable beauty, and her child-like naivety of the human world. He confirmed, "Huh, that's a pretty good name." He held Juvia's hands in his, "Okay… Juvia."

Natsu grinned, knowing his plan had gone smoothly. He motioned the animals to slowly guide the rowboat into a marsh underneath a large willow tree. The song continued.

Natsu and Animals: **_Now's your moment  
Floating in a blue lagoon  
Boy, you'd better do it soon  
No time will be better_**

A swarm of tadpoles jumped around the water and vocalized.

 ** _She don't say a word  
And she won't say a word  
Until you kiss the girl_**

Once again, the animals joined in and surrounded the boat to increase the mood.

Natsu and Animals: **_Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared  
You got the mood prepared  
Go on and kiss the girl_**

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now  
Don't try to hide it how  
You wanna kiss the girl_**

At one time, Happy tried to butt in and add to the song with his annoying meow-singing, but the flamingos quickly silenced him.

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along  
And listen to this song  
The song say "kiss the girl"_**

 ** _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play  
Do what the music say  
You gotta kiss the girl_**

Taking a deep breath, Gray reached out and took her soft hand, when the voices echoing and urging him, "Kiss her! Come on, do it! Kiss her! Kiss her!"

 ** _You've gotta kiss the girl_**

Gray slowly leaned towards Juvia.

 ** _You wanna kiss the girl_**

Juvia felt her heart beat faster and held Gray's hand tighter as she leaned towards him.

 ** _You've gotta kiss the girl_**

Natsu grinned, shouting a little too eagerly, " **GO ON AND—** "

 ** _Kiss the girl…_**

Juvia and Gray closed their eyes and tilted their heads slightly towards each other, their lips about to meet for the first time…

Just then, something struck the rowboat and toppled the whole thing toppled over, flinging both of them into the water. Natsu smacked a claw against his forehead as the animals below scattered, and Lucy and Happy watched with their mouths hang open.

As the two resurfaced with their clothes wet, Gray stood up and proceeded to help Juvia up. "Hold on, Juvia. I've got ya."

A short distance away, the evil eels Jackal and Franmalth were giving themselves hi-fives with their tails as they snickered to each other.

Jackal cackled, "Ha! The little princess may have legs, but her love affair doesn't!"

Franmalth nodded, "Good thing, too. That was a real close one back there. If she had succeeded, a whole amount of debt is upon us."

Jackal shook his head, "It doesn't matter how close it was. By sunset tomorrow, Juvia will be in Mistress Kyôka's clutches!"

Franmalth said sarcastically, "Oh, what's a poor child to do? She's so close and yet so far, and now her second sun has set! Her human form costs only three days!"

The two eels laughed hysterically to themselves and headed back down to report to their mistress.

* * *

Back at Kyôka's lair, the Sea Witch heard the report from her eels… and was not taking the news lightly.

"Nice work, boys," Kyôka praised, before she turned to her magical seeing bubble and disdainfully watched as Juvia and Gray hauled themselves back into the rowboat. She clenched a fist in frustration and growled, "That was a close one… Too close! The little tramp!"

Jackal reported, "And that's not the only piece of bad news. King Makarov has involved the whole kingdom in their search for the royal brat."

"There's been speculation of our involvement," Franmalth added worriedly. "They're now talking about going to our place and arrest us for questioning! If they ever find out, a huge cost is upon us! Game over, everyone! Game over!"

"No!" Kyôka screeched angrily. "They will not get that far! Not unless we act quickly…" She then turned away, trying to form a new plan. "Ugh, that girl's better than I thought. At this rate, he'll be kissing her by sunset for sure!" Just then, she stopped as a wicked idea came to her. "Unless…"

Jackal asked, "Um, Mistress Kyôka?"

A wicked smirk formed on Kyôka's face, "A change of plans, darlings." Pushing herself up, the Sea Witch swam up to the cupboard, grabbing a range of different ingredients. She instructed her eels, "You two! Keep an eye on Makarov until I return. Monitor his every move. And make sure no one comes near our lair."

Franmalth asked, "But what about you, Mistress?"

Swimming back to her cauldron, Kyôka answered, "I'll deal with Juvia myself. It's time Kyôka took matters into her own tentacles…" She dumped the ingredients into the cauldron and stirred them together, "Makarov's daughter will be mine! And then I'll make him writhe. I'll see him wriggle like a worm on hook!"

Kyôka cackled evilly as the spell took hold and slowly engulfed her, the large gem on her helmet glowing brightly…


	12. The Sea Witch in Disguise

It was nighttime and the moon shined brightly against the night sky. Down on the beach, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were trying to come up with new ideas for how to get Gray to fall in love with Juvia, but it seems they were thinking up more frustration than ideas.

"I can't believe it! They were so close!" Natsu yelled. "Juvia was only mere inches away from that kiss! Mere inches! Mere inches, man! So close!"

Lucy sighed, "We were there, Natsu. You don't have to remind us a million times over."

Happy floated onto a rock and sat down. He asked, "So what do we do now? There's gotta be a way outta this."

Lucy suggested, "What if we tried bargaining with Kyôka? We can get her to break Juvia's spell for a treasure or something in return—"

Natsu shook his head, "It won't work. Juvia signed a contract and has to stick to it until it expires. That's what contracts are for."

Happy wondered, "Is there anything we can do now? There's only one sunset left! And if that's done, all bets are off! Juvia belongs to Kyôka! Game over!"

"What's the point?" Natsu slumped his legs on a rock in disappointment, "I'm completely out of ideas. I was about to get back to Fairylantica and inform King Makarov that Juvia's gonna be the property of a banished sea witch, but I can't risk telling the fate of someone with a spell she alone can break. But with all the time left…"

Lucy interrupted, "You know, Natsu… I think Gray now has feelings for Juvia. Back at the lagoon, I could see his heart beating like crazy as Juvia's when they were about to kiss."

Happy added, "Me too. All he needs is a little bit of time to figure out how he feels about her, and everything will be fine. Who knows? It might be before sunset."

Natsu smiled warmly, "You're right, guys. Love takes a little bit of time. Whatever happens next, we'll just have to wait and see." He sighed to himself sadly, "We can only hope…"

* * *

A cool, salty breeze blew in from the restless waves, weaving its way through the kingdom. While most of Lamia Scale Town slept in their nice, warm beds, Prince Gray strolled through the palace garden all alone. Sighing to himself, Gray had only one thing on his mind; the voice of the girl who rescued him from the sinking ship. He described her figure as beautiful as the sunlight, and her voice a swell of endless music. He even resorted to playing the same tune of the mystery girl on his flute over and over again to try and find the answer.

Still, the mystery girl continued to haunt his dreams. It spun Gray's mind round and round until it flew off. He can sense her laughter in the ripple of the waves against the shoreline, he can see her smiling in the moonlight, and he can hear her voice singing out a melody too lovely to withstand. Gray can't stop thinking about that dream girl even now. He had hoped with all his heart that the mystery girl could set him free, take him away to a brand new world…

"Gray?" Lyon's voice broke Gray out of his trance. Not too far away, Gray's best friend and faithful butler stood watching, concerned of Gray's melancholy. Gray was in many ways like a brother to him, and it pained him to see him like this. Sighing, he slowly approached Gray and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Gray," Lyon said. "Your father taught you a lot, but the one thing he ever wanted for you was to find the girl of your dreams." The latter said nothing, merely looking at his friend.

"But if I had to say, if there's anything better than any dream girl, it's one of flesh and blood. One warm and caring, and right before your eyes," Lyon smiled assuredly, gesturing to one of the palace windows as he walked away.

Looking up, Gray was met with the sight of Juvia, the silent beauty pacing in her room and brushing her hair with the 'dinglehopper', and he couldn't help but smile. Would she ever learn to use a comb instead of a fork? That's odd.

A moment later, Gray's smile faltered into a sad expression. Grasping his flute, he stared at it and began questioning his every thought. What did he really think he was chasing? His savior with a voice? Or an angel without one?

But that was just it. His so-called 'dream girl' was nothing more than that; a dream, a voice… True, he thought he saw her smiling down at him when he woke up on the beach, but what else did he know about her? Nothing, that's what. She may as well be nothing more than a siren – a beautiful voice that took control of his mind and sent his heart on a wild goose-chase looking for her.

There was the voice, and then there was Juvia – a girl, like Lyon said, of flesh and blood. True, he knew nothing about her background, her interests, or anything about her in that respect, but personality-wise, her heart was an open book. She went through life with a smile on her face and her heart on her sleeve, never taking a single moment for granted. He might have been after the heart of the voice, but he wasn't blind. He had known from the start that she was beautiful, and now he knew that that beauty wasn't confined to the surface.

It was only then that the thought struck him. Suppose he found that voice, then what? He would have a girl he knew nothing about, who – in all honesty – he only fell in love with because of her voice. And the cost to have her in his life? He'd lose the only girl he ever had genuine feelings for.

Clutching the pipe, Gray gazed at the night sky. He couldn't bear the thought of falling for two girls at once – he had to choose one. With a groan, he tossed the pipe out into the open ocean with all his strength. Standing tall, he gazed one last time at the ocean, before he turned back and made his way back to the castle. He was certain that nothing would come between him and his true love... whenever he finds one.

Just then, a beautifully eerie voice vocalized on the breeze. Gray was convinced he was just hearing things, but nevertheless went back to the balcony. Down on the beach right outside the palace, a young woman walked beside the waterline, her ever-so-familiar voice ringing loud and clear on the salty breeze. Leaning further over the balcony, Gray squinted, trying to get a better look. It was dark, but he could see her long dark hair and purple dress.

Suddenly, swirls of light were coming from the small gem around her forehead as she sang. Sneaking their way through the air, the invisible swirls of magic made their way up to him, seeping into Gray's head. Unaware of what's happening, the young prince felt his senses slowly slipping away, until his mind went black.

* * *

Life in Lamia Scale Town was almost always bright and cheerful; that anyone knew. But if there was one thing Lamia Scale Town was famous other than its breathtaking sunsets, pristine waters, festivals, entertainment, tour sites, and friendly townsfolk, it was the close-knit relationship between the kingdom and its royals. For ages, the Royal Family had been dearly loved by their subjects, especially the late King Silver and Queen Mika.

It was hardly surprising that news of their only son's engagement had spread through the streets like wild fire. The kingdom was buzzing with excitement, and it wasn't long before a certain Exceed caught wind of the gossip.

"JUVIA! JUVIA!" Happy cried loudly as he flew into his friend's guest bedroom, landing on the bed. "Juvia, wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" The sapphire-haired girl stirred from her sleep, sitting up and staring at the blue Exceed in confusion.

"I was just flying around town when I heard the news!" Happy continued. "Congratulations! I knew you could do it!" He then pulled Juvia into a hug, which she awkwardly hugged back, clueless as to what he's talking about. Released from the hug, Happy began jumping up and down in celebration, "Yeah! We did it! We did it! Oh, yeah! We're the best!"

Natsu yawned as he woke up and stretched his arms and legs. He jumped off the pillow and said, "Oh, hey, Happy. What's going on?"

"Don't worry, Natsu," Happy assured. "I already told Juvia the big news."

"What big news?" Natsu asked skeptically.

Happy laughed, ruffling Natsu's hair playfully, "Oh, like the two of you didn't know, huh? The whole town's buzzin' about Prince Gray gettin' himself hitched this afternoon!" Juvia and Natsu looked at him blankly. "You know, he's getting married," Happy clarified.

Juvia's eyes shot wide open, astonishment quickly flooding across her face, while Natsu's mouth dropped. He exclaimed, "Wait, what?! He's getting married? When did that happen?!"

"I don't know, but at any rate, you can fill me in with all the details," Happy replied. "I'm gonna tell Lucy the good news." He hugged Juvia again, "Just wanted to wish you the best of luck, Juvia. I'll see ya later at the wedding! I wouldn't miss it!" With that, he flew back out of the window.

Juvia sat on the bed, this unexpected news taking a moment to sink in. If Gray was planning to marry her this afternoon, that means he's fallen in love with her! Not only that, but at the end of the ceremony, after the vows had been said and the rings exchanged, they'd have to kiss each other, and she'll remain a human permanently. At last, a lifetime with her beloved prince was right around the corner!

Unable to sit still a moment longer, Juvia leapt to her feet, attempting to untangle her hair with her fingers. She kissed Natsu on the cheek, thanking him for everything he had done to help her the past two days. Juvia hurried out of the room and down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, the salmon crustacean hot on her heels. Her heart pounding wildly in her chest, she started planning what she would do when she saw Gray. When she found him, she'd run into his arms. He would hold her close. They would stay like that for a minute or two, before he gently pulled her in for their very first kiss…

Her love-struck daydream came to an abrupt halt when she saw Gray in the dining room with Lyon, and an unfamiliar woman holding tightly onto his arm. Gray was dressed in a blue handsome prince's outfit.

"Well, Gray, it appears I was mistaken," Lyon chuckled, clearly surprised. "That mystery girl of yours does exist! And I have to say, she's stunning."

Juvia peeked into the room, studying the 'mystery girl' as Natsu appeared at her side. The girl had long dark hair with two strands tied to a ponytail, and was wearing a purple dress and a small gem around her forehead.

"Congratulations, Miss… um…" Lyon shook the dark-haired girl's hand.

"Please, call me Samantha," the dark-haired girl corrected with a sweet giggle.

"So now that you've met your mystery woman, what do you want to do?" Lyon asked Gray.

"We wish to be married as soon as possible," Gray informed him, his voice soft and loving in an almost eerie sort of way.

"Married?" Lyon asked in bewilderment, before he shook his head briefly. "I mean, yes, of course. Absolutely. We'll make preparations for the event immediately. Of course, these things do take time—"

"This afternoon, Lyon," Gray insisted with an unknown firmness. "The wedding ship departs at sunset."

"Really? That soon?" Lyon asked, his head buzzing slightly. He then sighed, "Very well, Gray, as you wish."

Feeling as if a knife had gone through her chest, Juvia turned away from the room as tears started flowing down her cheeks. She then raced off and disappeared upstairs, pained by the sudden throbbing in her chest.

However, everyone was completely unaware that the 'mystery girl' was grinning wickedly, looking up at her glowing forehead gem. It appeared that everything had gone according to plan…

* * *

Several hours later, most of the kingdom had packed themselves onto a glorious wedding ship, which quickly came alive with joyous laughter and excited chatter. Everyone aboard was in their best clothes, eagerly awaiting Prince Gray and his bride; their soon-to-be king and queen.

As the ship pulled away from the shore, no one noticed Juvia lingering on the pier, watching on with tear-stained cheeks and a broken heart. The weight of her heavy heart dragging her down, her back slid down one of the pier's wooden pillars and she hugged her knees close to her chest. Natsu rested a gentle claw on her ankle, but it did no good to comfort her.

Juvia was unable to bear the thought of losing Gray to another woman, when he should be falling for her. The worst part is, he didn't even talk to her or look at her even before the wedding started. Instantly, all of the moments she shared with Gray – her Gray – flashed across her mind. Each memory made her tears flow faster, some of the droplets falling through the gaps in the pier and blending the ocean water. Burying her face in her arms, she sobbed harder than ever, completely unaware of her friends' sympathetic tears. In the distance, the sun was inches from touching the water as it began its descent.

* * *

Out at sea, Happy sailed through the air with his wings, singing a salty wedding tune as he went. His usually cheerful mood was something much stronger, his eyes glowing with a kind of ecstatic bliss. Today was his best friend's wedding to her one true love. At least, he thought it was…

Mysterious Voice: **_What a lovely little bride I'll make  
My dear, I'll look divine_**

A voice sang from within the ship, laughing in a slightly 'unnerving' way. "Juvia?" Happy wondered, recognizing that voice anywhere. He may not be the smartest Exceed, but he had enough of a brain to know that something smelt fishy. Swooping down to the boat, he peeked in through the window. In the room, a young lady was twirling around the room in an elegant, white wedding dress, pinning back her dark hair.

Wedding Girl: **_Things are working out according  
To my ultimate design_**

She pulled a single pin from her strands of hair and tossed it at the mirror. The pin crashed straight into the center of the glass, and Happy gulped as fragments of broken glass scattered across the wooden floor.

Wedding Girl: **_Soon, I'll have that little mermaid  
And the ocean will be mine…_**

She climbed onto the dressing table and tilted the ruined mirror up. From the few large fragments still clinging to the backboard, the woman's reflection was revealed. But rather than a young girl, the mirror harbored a familiar cackling figure. It was Kyôka!

"The Sea Witch!" Happy gasped. He started flapping frantically, rambling about how he had to do something, only getting his senses back when he accidentally knocked his head into the window. Shaking himself, he flew for the dock to warn Juvia of the bad news.


	13. Wedding Crashers

On the pier, Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy were still sulking over their failure to win over Prince Gray, when they heard a loud scream in the distance.

" **JUVIA! NATSU! LUCY!** " Looking up, they saw a frantic Happy descend in front of them. Out of breath, he began explaining what he had seen at the wedding ship, "Thanks goodness I found you. Listen up. I've got some really bad news."

Lucy grumbled, "Can't be worse than it already is."

Happy began, "Well, I was out flying…"

"Well, of course you were flying," Natsu said sarcastically.

Happy continued, "…and at the wedding ship, I saw the watch! I mean, the witch!"

Natsu just tapped his crab legs against the wooden deck, not amused by Happy's rambling and lack of self-control.

"The witch!" Happy corrected himself. "That's what I meant to say! The witch was watching the mirror, and she was singing with a stolen set of pipes!"

Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy looked blankly at Happy, who quickly became frustrated. He grabbed Natsu with his paws and yelled desperately, " **DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M TELLING YOU?!** " He wacked the salmon crab against the wooden deck a few times for emphasis, " **THE PRINCE! IS MARRYING! THE SEA WITCH! IN! DISGUISE!** "

Juvia and her friends' faces widened in shock. Natsu rubbed his head and asked skeptically, "Wait, Kyôka is marrying Gray?"

"Are you sure about this?" Lucy asked.

"Of course I am!" Happy replied. "Have I ever been wrong? I mean, when it's important?" Seeing that Happy had a point, everyone started to worry.

"What are we gonna do?" Lucy asked worriedly. "How are we gonna stop her?"

Juvia stood up and looked out towards the wedding ship in the distance. Kyôka's voice echoed in her mind, taunting her as the sun sank lower in the sky, " _…before the sun sets on the third day…_ "

That's when it all made sense; Kyôka never intended Juvia to make her deal. She tricked Juvia into signing herself over to her, knowing that she would do all in her power to prevent the kiss, to ensure the little mermaid remained a property of the sea witch. Juvia wasn't the sea witch's 'poor unfortunate soul'; she was just bait, a bartering chip to force her father to turn his entire sea kingdom over to Kyôka. After all, Kyôka harbored deep resentment for King Makarov since her banishment. And now, Juvia was used as the cog in the machine of her newest revenge scheme.

The young sapphire-haired girl's nose crinkled in disgust. Kyôka was trying to steal Gray – her beloved Gray – away from her. Well, not if she had anything to say about it! Determination burning in her eyes, she leapt off the pier and dove into the water. Resurfacing, she splashed around in the water, desperately trying to stay afloat.

Anxiously looking for something to help Juvia, Natsu noticed a stack of wooden barrels. Snipping the ropes holding them together with his claws, he let them tumble into the sea. He said, "Juvia, grab onto that!" He turned to Lucy, "Lucy, get her to that boat as fast as your fins can carry you! We gotta hurry and stop Kyôka before it's too late!"

Juvia clung to the barrel and handed a rope loop to Lucy, who allowed it to surround her small, yellow body. "We'll try!" Lucy nodded. The blonde fish started swimming with all her strength, leaving Natsu and Happy on the pier.

"I gotta get back to Fairylantica," Natsu suggested. "King Makarov has to know about this."

"Wait!" Happy stopped him. "What about me? What can I do?"

"You! Find a way to stall that wedding!" Natsu yelled, as he jumped into the water.

"Stall the wedding?" Happy said puzzled. "How am I supposed to... Wait! That's it!" Beaming with an idea, he flapped his wings and hovered just above the unsettled ocean. Reaching into his fur, he took out a small whistle he carried around and blew into it as hard as possible. The sound vibrated throughout the land and various creatures appeared. All forms of creatures from Exceeds to dolphins to seals to lobsters to birds heard the whistle, and gradually, they all started to follow Happy.

"C'mon, everybody! Let's go!" Happy urged. "We've got an emergency here!" Receiving several approving sounds, he turned for the wedding ship, proudly leading the flock of animals.

* * *

It was almost sunset, and an organ played beautifully across the deck of the wedding ship. Smoothing out her wedding dress, Kyôka, the elusive sea witch in disguise, emerged from the shadows and stepped onto the aisle with the mesmerized Prince Gray, smartly clad in his wedding attire, his arm around hers. The wedding guests turned to face the soon-to-be newlyweds, their eyes welcoming and filled with awe. As the two walked to the altar, Gray was enthralled by a tender fondness to marry Kyôka. In truth, the only reason he was so hopelessly in love with her was because of the spell she placed on him.

As she walked down the aisle, Kyôka heard the distinct sound of snarling. Sneaking a glance to the floor, she noticed Ur growling jealously at her. Thinking of the sheepdog as a mere annoyance, Kyôka kicked Ur aside, causing her to whimper.

Reaching the altar, Kyôka and Gray stood in front of the elderly priest, Ooba Babasaama. Clearing her throat, she opened the wedding book and announced, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bear witness to the union of our beloved prince with this fine maiden in holy matrimony."

* * *

Meanwhile at sea, Lucy splashed breathlessly in the waves, panting as she tried to pull Juvia through the open waters with the rope loop tied around her body. She panted, "Don't worry, Juvia. We're gonna make it. We're almost there…"

Juvia looked up at the wedding ship behind them, and back down at the small blonde fish, who tried to combine the speed and strength she quite clearly lacked. Lucy had been Juvia's best friend for as long as she could remember, and she would do anything to help her. But they had to be realistic; there was no way Lucy could get Juvia to the boat in time. Not on her own, that is.

Keeping a firm grip on the barrel, Juvia began kicking her legs furiously in an effort to help them move faster. Her actions made little difference at first, but she quickly developed a steady, rhythmic pattern in her kicks, and the two began closing in on the wedding ship.

* * *

Looking up from her book, Ooba turned to Gray, "Do you, Prince Gray, take this woman, Samantha, to be your lawfully-wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Gray said monotonously.

Kyôka smirked to herself as she watched the sun sink lower into the horizon. It won't be long now. All she had to do now was to say 'I do' to complete the wedding, and then Juvia and all of Fairylantica will be hers…

"And do you, Samantha, take this man, our Prince Gray, to be your lawfully-wedded husband for as long as you both shall live?" Ooba asked, turning towards Kyôka.

Before she could respond, however, loud cries rang through the air as a flock of Exceeds led by Happy flew down towards the ship.

" **LET'S CRASH THIS PARTY!** " Happy yelled thunderously.

" **AYE, SIR!** " the Exceeds complied.

Kyôka quickly ducked to avoid the Exceeds, then started screaming and more Exceeds began dive bombing on her as well. People looked around in confusion, wondering where the animals came from and why they were behaving so oddly. Some tried to help Kyôka, but ended by being ambushed by the animals as well.

Things got even more chaotic as sea lions, dolphins, and birds joined the fray, sending all the guests into a mass panic. On the other hand, Ur was barking happily, glad to see that Kyôka got what she deserved, while Lyon tried to control her.

As Kyôka tried running away from the animal onslaught, a flock of pelicans bombarded her with water, seaweed, sand, and even a lobster which jumped onto her face and pinched her nose. Kyôka let out a howling scream but was quickly silenced as Happy and his Exceed brethren threw several starfish at her face and body.

"I must say, Happy, this is certainly the most fun I've had in years," said a white Exceed named Carla.

Happy laughed and grabbed a tray of creampuffs off the table, handing one to Carla, "Care for a creampuff, my dear?"

Carla smiled with a blush, "Thank you."

"Then by the power vested in me…" Ooba continued reading the wedding book, not paying attention to the chaos that unfolded.

" **GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU SLIMY LITTLE—** " Kyôka screeched, getting the starfish off her. All of a sudden, she felt herself thrown up into the air as the sea lions began tossing her around in a game of catch, until she crashed into the wedding cake. The rest of the crowd watched on, and no one noticed Juvia scrambling aboard.

In a fit of rage, Kyôka stood up with her wedding gown soaked by a mixture of cake and water. Just then, three dolphins leapt from the ocean and sprayed the imposter bride with water, and a seagull dove in front of her, giving a loud, ear-piercing squawk in front of her face.

" **WHY, YOU LITTLE…** " Kyôka screamed, grabbing the seagull's throat and swinging it around. Ur continued to watch the scene, still barking happily. At long last, she broke free of Lyon and charged behind the imposter bride. Opening her sharp fangs, she closed them and bit Kyôka's butt. With an agonizing scream, Kyôka jumped up into the air and fell onto the wooden deck, releasing her grip on the seagull.

Embarrassed and humiliated for the last time, Kyôka was about to vent her frustration on Gray's faithful sheepdog, until a voice caught her attention. "Hey, white horse!" She turned to see Happy, who held a small rock on his paw and threw it straight at her face. BAM! The hard throw knocked Kyôka onto the ground, unconscious. "Catch," Happy smirked.

Carla remarked, "Oh, Happy, you never cease to impress. You stood bravely against the evil Sea Witch. You've become the bravest Exceed ever!"

Happy cheered, "Aye, sir!"

"Here is something from me to you," Carla continued. And then, the unexpected happened. She kissed Happy on the cheek, which caused him to blush like crazy.

"Wow… That's some reward…" Happy said dreamily, before he fainted in love-throbbed exasperation.

While Kyôka was unconscious, the small gem on her forehead began to crack. The crack continued to intensify, until it unexpectedly affected her entire face. With a single crash, Kyôka's face cracked open to reveal her true face – without wearing her white helmet, she has two wing-like scales on her forehead, two pointy ears, and freely flowing green hair. She still retained the wing-like hair protrudes on the left and right side of her face, though.

As Kyôka regained consciousness, she paused to take a look at the pieces scattered on the wooden deck. That's when it struck her, "My gem! My helmet!" Her eyes widened with absolute shock, "MY VOICE!"

True enough, with Kyôka's gem destroyed, the bright glowing light representing Juvia's voice floated freely in the air. A harsh gasp gushed from Gray's body as his senses came flooding back, free from Kyôka's brainwashing. Moaning, his eyes instantly fell on Juvia. Everyone watched as the glowing light carried Juvia's voice back into her throat where it belonged.

Gray's eyes lit up at the sound of her voice – _the_ voice…

"Juvia?"

"Gray!" Juvia spoke happily to him for the first time. Ur then ran over her shoulder and licked her cheek, making her laugh.

Gray asked dumbfounded, "You… you can talk?"

"I can now," Juvia replied, going up to him and taking his hands into hers.

As she looked up at him with her ocean blue eyes, the realization hit Gray like a ton of bricks. He exclaimed, squeezing Juvia's hands. "It's you! You're the one! The one who saved me! The one I've been looking for this whole time!" He then pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner." Juvia leaned her head on his chest and hugged back.

"Gray! Get away from her!" Kyôka shouted, but discovering that her old voice had returned, she quickly covered her mouth.

On the other hand, it was loud enough for Juvia to hear. Turning her attention to the Sea Witch, she pulled away from her hug with Gray and walked towards Kyôka with a fierce glare in her eyes. She said, "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"Uh, Juvia, honey, sweetie…" Kyôka chuckled nervously. "I-I-I can explain. It's not what you think…"

Juvia angrily grabbed Kyôka and shouted, "You tried to take my beloved Gray away from me! Even worse, you tried to make him forget about me! I'm going to make sure you'll never do anything like that again!" Clenching her fist, she threw it straight to Kyôka's face, causing her to collapse back to the floor. Groaning, Kyôka wiped her face and noticed that her nose was bleeding. Satisfied, Juvia turned her back from the Sea Witch and returned to Gray.

Enraged by this insult, Kyôka growled spitefully, "I'll make you pay for this, you… YOU…" Juvia ignored her, falling once again into the arms of the man of her dreams. Everyone on the wedding ship watched happily as the two embraced again, including Happy and Carla, who were holding hands.

Gray pulled again and looked at Juvia, "I can't believe you were in front of me this whole time and I didn't know. It makes me feel dumb than when I didn't know your name."

Kyôka protested, "No! Don't do this!"

"Oh, my dear Gray," Juvia sighed with a smile. "I wanted to tell you…" Gray smiled back at the sapphire-haired beauty and gently stroked her cheek as he leaned over to kiss her.

Kyôka screamed, "GRAY, NO!" Their lips were just inches away…

Then the sun was set. Juvia groaned in pain and collapsed into her prince's arms. Her navy blue coat swirled in the sudden wind, wrapping itself tightly around her as it transformed into nothing more than a bright, lavender aura of glowing light; a light that faded moments later, revealing her mermaid form.

All eyes were glued on Juvia's true form in disbelief. Everyone heard legends of merpeople living in an undersea kingdom beneath the ocean, but only a few like Sting and Rouge believed them to be true. No one ever thought it was possible that one of them exists!

Prince Gray watched on, finally realizing who his mysterious angel really was. He whispered, "I knew it…"

"You're too late!" Kyôka cackled triumphantly. " **YOU'RE TOO LATE!** " she screamed to the skies as lightning began crashing from below. With the lightning striking her directly, Kyôka bursts out of her fake body and returned back to her original form. The wedding guests screamed in horror and jumped out of the way as the avian purple octopus-woman crawled down the aisle with incredible speed and grabbed Juvia around the waist.

Heaving herself onto the railing, Kyôka said mockingly, "So long, lover boy." She blew a kiss at Gray, below yanking herself and Juvia back into the ocean.

"Juvia!" Gray cried, leaning over the railing to scan where Juvia had gone. Finding no trace of her, he raced to the deck below. "Lower a lifeboat!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Toby saluted.

The sailors Sting and Rouge stood beside Lyon, who was extremely shocked at this turn of events. Sting shouted proudly at him, "Ha! We told you merpeople are real!"


	14. Stormy Battle

Back underwater, Kyôka was dragging the helpless little mermaid down by the wrist, with her eels Jackal and Franmalth following close behind. She smiled smugly, "Oh, my poor little princess… You were this close to kissing Prince Charming. I feel really sorry for you. But a deal's a deal. Your time is up, and now you'll have to pay the price."

Juvia asked nervously, "What do you want from me?"

Kyôka assured, "Oh, don't worry, dear. This was only one part of the plan. It's not really you I'm after. In fact, I've got a much bigger fish to—"

"Kyôka, **STOP!** " a loud voice boomed. The Sea Witch halted in her tracks, finding herself face-to-face with King Makarov pointing his trident straight at her. At his side were Natsu and Fairylantica's finest soldiers, poised and ready to attack.

Regaining her self-assurance, Kyôka chuckled, "Why, King Makarov! What a surprise! It's been a long time, hasn't it? We haven't met since the day you banished me."

Makarov nodded sternly, "It certainly has, Kyôka. Even today, you are still the same witch who tried to take over my kingdom."

Natsu shared Makarov's stern look, "That's right, lady! And this time, you've gone too far. Kidnapping the king's daughter for your own gain? That is the most selfish thing you've ever done!"

Kyôka replied with a scoff, "Ha! Whoever accused me of being 'selfish?' Can a lady do whatever she wants? I'm just an uptown avian-octopus girl with the plan. And my plan involves dragging you and your undersea kingdom to the dust… starting right now."

Makarov retorted, "Enough of this nonsense. Release my daughter, or else!" He pointed the trident towards Kyôka's face, with the Fairylantica guards unsheathing their weapons.

"Uh-uh-uh," Kyôka smiled evilly, wagging a finger. "You know it's not nice to point a weapon at a woman."

Makarov wouldn't take such nonsense. He threatened loudly, "Let her go!"

"Not a chance, Makarov," Kyôka shook her head, before grinning wickedly at the sea king. "She's mine now." She then took out the contract with one of her tentacles, "We made a deal." Makarov was horrified to see his youngest daughter's name signed at the bottom.

Juvia screamed frantically, "Daddy, I'm sorry! I didn't know—"

Without a word, Makarov aimed his trident at the scroll, shooting at it with a powerful bolt of lightning. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't make the slightest tear on the contract. It still remained intact.

Kyôka laughed amusingly at Makarov's vain attempt, allowing her eels to take Juvia and restrain her arms. She said, "You see? The contract's legal, binding and completely unbreakable, even for the king of the sea."

Makarov glared dangerously at her, "Then I'll just have to try a different approach. Guards! Seize her!" The Fairylantica soldiers readied their weapons and rushed forward, but the sneaky Sea Witch was ready for anything, as always. Flexing her claws menacingly, Kyôka summoned green whips of energy from her fingers and swung them multiple times against the guards. With each hit connecting, the guards screamed in agonizing pain, as if whenever they see, hear, or feel anything, it hurts!

"Nice try, Your Royal Highness," Kyôka smirked. "But you didn't think I was going down without a fight, do you? It never hurts to have magic for backup."

Jackal remarked, "Mistress, you sure left a lot of nasty senses on those guards!"

Franmalth added, "And the senses are so bad, they hurt! Literally!"

"I know, right?" Kyôka agreed, before the three laughed together in amusement.

Natsu recognized the technique Kyôka utilized, "That's the Sensation Curse, one of the forbidden magics. It has the power to increase a person's sensitivity to extreme pain. When it hits you, it hurts when you feel, see, or hear anything!"

Makarov asked Natsu, "How did you know that?"

Natsu replied, "I've read a lot of magic books in my time at Clam School. It's before I became your new court composer."

"Oh, alright," Makarov nodded, before he turned his attention to Kyôka.

Kyôka spoke, "Like I said, Makarov, not even you with your almighty powers and loyal guards can go around breaking legally binding contracts. And everybody knows contracts are the best. When you sign it, it can't be broken. Unless you change the rules, that is."

Makarov lowered his trident and asked, "What do you want?"

Taking this as her cue, Kyôka swam forward and placed a cruel hand on his shoulder. She replied, "We can arrange this with a sort of counter-offer to the contract I made with Juvia. And you know, I always was a girl with an eye for a bargain. The youngest daughter of the great sea king is a very precious commodity. But…" She paused to let this sink in, "I might be willing to make an exchange, for someone even better."

Makarov looked at Kyôka skeptically, "Go on."

"I'll let Juvia go," Kyôka offered. "But only if you agree to trade her soul…" She paused again, before she smirked evilly, "…for yours."

Makarov's eyes widened, knowing full well what she was really after. He exclaimed quietly, "So that's how it is… But it's not me you're really after. You only care about my crown."

"Ah, yes. Which reminds me… What do you think is more valuable to you than anything?" Kyôka asked cruelly. "Your crown…" With the snap of her fingers, the scroll released a crimson light that instantly engulfed the frightened Juvia, slowly transforming her into a polyp, the way it had for all of Kyôka's victims. "…or your daughter?" She added with a wicked smile, "I suggest you choose carefully…"

* * *

Back at the wedding ship, Yuka and Toby untied one of the lifeboats and lowered it into the sea. Not a minute later, Gray appeared in his regular white long-sleeved trenchcoat and blue belt-strapped shirt. He leapt over the railing, landing squarely in the lifeboat.

Lyon quickly ran to the edge of the ship, concerned for Gray's safety. He asked, "Gray, what are you doing?"

Gray began rowing away, calling back over his shoulder, "Lyon, I lost her once. I'm not gonna lose her again!"

* * *

"Now…" Kyôka said, holding the contract close to Makarov. "Do we have a deal?"

Natsu protested, "No! Don't listen to her, Your Majesty!"

"I'm afraid… I have no choice," Makarov sighed sadly. He hated to give his power and his kingdom to the evil Sea Witch, but he would never abandon his precious daughter. Clenching his eyes shut, Makarov once again aimed at the scroll. A blast was fired at the parchment, and Juvia's name was replaced with his own.

"It's done, then!" Kyôka shouted in triumph. The crimson light that had surrounded Juvia suddenly lifted and shot towards Makarov, trapping him in a vortex. Once back to normal, Juvia watched in horror as the light swallowed her father whole, shrinking him down to size.

Juvia cried in disbelief, "No… No!"

Kyôka's cruel laughter echoed through the sea, only stopping when the light died down. Juvia, Natsu, and Lucy all stared at the small skinny polyp in front of them, knowing exactly who it was.

"Your Majesty…" Natsu muttered sadly.

"Daddy?" Juvia whispered.

"At last…" Kyôka muttered, placing Makarov's discarded crown on top of her head. "It's mine!" Picking up the golden trident, her amused smirk turned into a wicked cackle erupting from her throat. With the trident and the crown under her control, she was now free to rule the ocean unchallenged. However…

"You… You **MONSTER!** " Juvia shrieked, breaking free from Jackal and Franmalth, and angrily lunging at the sea witch. Unfortunately, Kyôka was faster, pinning her against the rocky sea floor with her tentacles.

"Don't toy with me, you little brat!" Kyôka yelled angrily, aiming the trident at Juvia's chest. "Contract or not, I'll blast—"

" **Ice-Make: Lance!** " Multiple lances made of solid ice suddenly flew towards Kyôka, grazing her body multiple times. After a short struggle, Kyôka threw Juvia off and pinned her against a rock with her tentacles. Turning around, the Sea Witch saw Gray swimming not too far away, using his Ice-Make Magic to strike her from a distance.

"Why, you little fool…" Kyôka growled.

"Gray!" Juvia cried. She tried to swim towards him, but was held back by Kyôka's tentacles. "Gray, look out!"

Kyôka turned to Jackal and Franmalth and ordered, "After him!"

"Yes, Mistress!" Jackal and Franmalth nodded.

Seeing the eels coming towards him, Gray quickly turned and swam back up to the surface. Natsu took notice and called out, "Come on, Lucy! We gotta help!"

"Yeah!" Lucy cried.

Gray managed to make it back to the boat, but Jackal and Franmalth dragged him back down to the water and grabbed his arms and legs.

Jackal smirked, "Where do you think you're going, Ice Boy?"

Franmalth added, "We're just getting started with you!"

While Gray struggled to get free, Natsu and Lucy swam up behind the eels and tapped them on the shoulders, catching their attentions.

"Hey there," Lucy winked her eye at Jackal with a smile. "Remember us?" She raised her tailfin and smacked it across Jackal's face multiple times.

"Payback time, creeps!" Natsu shouted, before snapping his claw at Franmalth's tail, making him scream in pain.

"Looks like I've been pinched on the tail!" Franmalth exclaimed. "How much of a sin does that cost, I wonder?" With the eels distracted, Gray quickly swam back to the surface, unaware that Kyôka had the trident pointed straight at him.

"Say goodbye to your little sweetheart…" Kyôka smirked, the trident beginning to glow. Looking at where she was pointing, Juvia panicked and lunged straight at Kyôka, yanking her bushy green hair back just as a bolt of lightning shot out of the trident. The movement jerked Kyôka's arms up, and the trident's power flew past Gray, hitting Jackal and Franmalth instead. The two unlucky eels screamed in pain as they were electrocuted by the lightning bolt, and were instantly vaporized.

" **NOOOOOOOO!** " Kyôka screamed horrifyingly. She caught the remains of her eels' into her hands, shocked to see her beloved pets vaporized before her eyes. "Jackal! Franmalth! My babies!" She then sniffled, "My poor little poopsies…"

The sorrowful look in Kyôka's eyes turned vengeful, and she glared at Juvia as she and Gray dashed for the surface. Gripping her trident tightly, her eyes began to glow a dark red, intent on making Juvia pay in the most PAINFUL way possible. Natsu and Lucy watched in horror as black smoke started billowing from around Kyôka, causing her to steadily grow in size. Quickly, Natsu and Lucy joined Juvia and Gray and headed up towards the surface.

* * *

Gray gasped for air as he broke through the surface with Juvia. For a moment, he only breathed the stormy air, but then his attention turned to the sapphire-haired mermaid beside him. "Juvia!" he called.

"I'm right here!" Juvia quickly swam up to his side, placing her hands on his shoulders. Natsu and Lucy swam up beside the pair, both looking extremely worried.

"Bad news, guys!" Lucy screamed.

Natsu added, his body shaking, "Kyôka's coming! And she's really, really mad!"

Gray's eyes widened in astonishment to see two sea creatures, a crab and a fish, talk before his very eyes. He exclaimed, "They can talk?!"

"All sea life can if they trust you enough," Juvia explained, unfazed by the idea of talking animals. "Come on, Gray! You've got to get away from here!"

"No, I won't leave you," Gray said adamantly.

A moment later, the ocean bubbled, and the Earth shook beneath the raging sea. From the depths of the ocean, Kyôka emerged the size of a giant and began cackling manically. She continued to grow bigger, even lifting Juvia and Gray out of the water on top of her head. Quickly, both of them jumped off Kyôka's head and back into the water. They held onto each other and watched in horror as Kyôka grew the size of a mountain, her laughter increasing with every growth.

" **You pitiful, insignificant fools!** " Kyôka bellowed.

"Look out!" Gray shouted as Kyôka slammed one of her tentacles into the water. Both were able to dive underwater and avoid the tentacle, as Kyôka raised the trident towards the sky. She shot its magic into the sky, conjuring up a huge storm. Lightning lit the angry waves, thunder crashing loudly in response. Rain began pouring down furiously as Kyôka conjured up wave after wave of destructive proportions.

" **Now I am the ruler of all the ocean!** " the giant Sea Witch declared. " **The waves obey my every whim!** "

"Gray!" Juvia shouted as she saw Gray drifted away. He tried to grab her outreached hand, but got caught in the riptide of a huge wave, flinging him high into the air and back into the water. Juvia tried going after Gray, but was almost hit by the lightning, causing her to duck and cover behind the rocks.

" **The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!** " Kyôka proclaimed, and she swirled her trident round in the water, creating a whirlpool deep enough to reveal the ocean floor. The force of the whirlpool was strong enough to raise a large sunken ship and multiple broken platforms above the surface. Juvia desperately held onto a rock with all her might, hoping she wouldn't get sucked in.

Meanwhile, Gray was able to return to the battle, having used the technique **Ice-Make: Platform** to create a solid ice moving platform. The sunken ship was about to run him over, but the Ice-Make Wizard quickly grabbed a rope, climbed onto the deck, and grabbed the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, Kyôka spotted Juvia, and with a smirk, blasted the rock she was holding on to, causing her to fall into the center of the whirlpool on a ground surface. The Sea Witch tried to blast Juvia multiple times, but she barely dodged all of them.

Just then, Gray was driving the ship towards Kyôka, determined to save the girl of his dreams from the clutches of the Sea Witch. He shouted, "Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

Kyôka chuckled mockingly, " **Ah, look at the brave little prince trying to save the damsel in distress! That's so cute!** " She then noticed the ship heading towards her, and she easily blocked it with her tentacles before it drove into her chest.

Gray retorted, "Try nothing, lady! I will save her, and I WILL stop you!" He formed his hands together, " **Ice-Make: Hammer!** " He summoned a large hammer of ice floating above Kyôka, but she effortlessly blocked it with her trident, shattering it into pieces.

Kyôka snorted, " **Do you really think that little Ice-Make Magic of yours can save you?** " She paused to chuckle, " **Very well, I always like a challenge, anyway. But make no mistake… When I'm finished with you…** " She gestured to Juvia at the bottom of the whirlpool, " **…she's next!** "

Gray dangerously glared at Kyôka, "No one gets away with hurting the ones I care about. I take revenge!" Instantly, he took off his trenchcoat and shirt, revealing his tall muscular body. "YOU'RE the one who's next!"

Kyôka's laughter clashed with the roaring thunder as she eyed Gray with a determined expression. She smirked, " **Alright, let's play!** "

At the bottom of the whirlpool, Juvia prayed, "Be careful, my beloved…"

Lifting her massive tentacles, Kyôka slammed them all over the ship, splitting it in half, but Gray managed to dodge all the attacks. Gray retaliated by casting **Ice-Make: Lance,** hitting Kyôka in the face and causing a bit of damage to it. The Sea Witch fired a powerful laser from her trident, only for Gray to deflect it back at her with **Ice-Make: Shield.** Kyôka raised her tentacles and slammed them into the remains of the ship, but Gray bolted to another broken platform, and countered by casting **Ice-Make Hammer** , hitting her directly at the head and causing her to hold it in pain.

Swearing revenge, Kyôka blew a stream of floating **Bubble Bombs** from her mouth towards Gray, who destroyed them with **Ice-Make: Arrows.** He countered with **Ice-Make: Ice Cannon** , blasting Kyôka at the chest. With Kyôka distracted, Gray casts **Ice-Make: Shotgun** and **Ice-Make: Knuckle** , damaging her.

" **You annoying little…** " Kyôka growled. " **You dare to strike me?!** " Raising her trident into the sky, she cast **Lightning Storm,** which rained countless thunderbolts from the sky. Fortunately, Gray was able to dodge every blast by jumping from platform to platform. She attacked again by firing countless laser blasts and various elemental attacks at the Ice-Maker Wizard, which he effortlessly avoided.

" **Try to dodge THIS!** " Kyôka screamed. She charged a large amount of energy onto her trident and fired it at Gray, but missed. Gray saw this as an opening and cast **Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer** at Kyôka's chest, causing her to scream in pain. He then casts **Ice-Make: Ice Cannon, Ice-Make: Lance,** and **Ice-Make: Buzzsaw** to damage her greatly.

Despite her moderate injuries, Kyôka was still standing on all tentacles. She was extremely furious that someone was keeping up with her, despite her powers increased to maximum levels with the power of the trident. She bellowed, " **Now I'm angry! TIME TO TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT!** "

Gray motioned his hand towards the Sea Witch, "Bring it on! I'm ready to take on anything you throw at me!"

Unleashing the full extent of their magical powers, Gray's Ice-Make Magic and Kyôka's Ocean Magic collided, hitting each other with powerful blasts while dodging at the same time. The battle raged on for what seemed to be an hour or so, and everyone who witnessed this, either on land or sea, could only stand by and watch.

When the dust cleared, both opponents were grievously worn out with all the attacks they dished out against each other. Kyôka quickly recovered, her rage reaching its boiling point.

" **ENOUGH!** " Kyôka roared. " **I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY A HUMAN! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE!** " Gathering every ounce of her power, Kyôka unleashed a crazy array of thunderbolts, lasers, tidal waves, and tentacle attacks.

Gray shot back, "That's what you think!" Dodging every attack as he advanced, he jumped up and prepared for his ultimate three attacks. " **Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!** " He swung an extremely large ice broadsword and swung it ferociously, completely freezing Kyôka's tentacles and shattering them into pieces. " **Ice-Make: Ice Bringer!** " He held two icy large swords on each hand and struck the Sea Witch, creating two huge scars on her chest. " **Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!** " Finally, Gray created sharp ice blades on his arms and slashed Kyôka seven times, the last strike knocking the trident out of Kyôka's hands. The trident spun through the air and landed at the bottom of the whirlpool Juvia stood on.

Kyôka turned to the whirlpool and was extremely shocked to see her trident misplaced. " **No… NO!** " she exclaimed. " **THAT BELONGS TO ME!** "

This was it. This was Juvia's best chance to defeat the Sea Witch and save everyone. Gripping the trident, she held it and aimed it straight at Kyôka. Casting a determined look, Juvia shouted back, "You want it? Alright, you can have it!"

Juvia threw it at the Sea Witch's chest with a thunderous cry, shooting right through. With a dreadful scream, Kyôka's body rapidly electrocuted, accompanied with the last bits of storm. In a matter of seconds, her scream came to an abrupt end, her body sinking into the ocean before it disintegrated into boiling black ooze.

* * *

Kyôka's remains slowly sinking into the water, all of her past spells began to unravel, and one-by-one, all the trapped polyp creatures reverted back to their normal merpeople selves and swam out of the cave, enjoying their taste of freedom.

Finally reaching the ocean floor, the trident landed beside the last of the polyps. Returning back to his normal form, King Makarov smiled as he took back his trident.


	15. Land and Sea in Harmony

It was nearly dawn when Gray walked up onto the beach and rested his back on a rock, exhausted after his epic battle with the Sea Witch. The gentle sunlight filtered through the fading storm clouds to make way for the shining sun, and the crown prince of Lamia Scale slowly recovered from his injuries. Gray breathed, "That was intense…" He added with a chuckle, "That giant creepy lady was tough, but not tough enough."

The sound of approaching footsteps caught Gray's attention, and he turned to see Lyon, Sherry, Chelia, Sting, Rouge, and Ur running towards him. " **GRAY!** " they all cried.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Sherry cried, checking the young prince for injuries.

"You jerk!" Sting laughed. "You could've saved some action for us!"

Rogue remarked, "You saved us from that giant monster with your Ice-Make Magic."

Chelia cheered, "Hooray! The big bad monster is gone! Prince Gray saved the day! Nothing can stop that Ice-Make Wizard!"

Lyon grinned, "You are indeed just like your father, King Silver. He'd be very proud of you."

Gray's response was immediate, "Has any one of you seen Juvia?"

"Juvia? You mean the girl with blue hair?" Chelia wondered. "Well, she…"

Sherry and Lyon shared worried looks, as they were both reluctant to answer. Lyon started slowly, placing a hand on Gray's shoulder, "Gray… No one has ever seen her. Not since sunset yesterday."

Gray pulled away from his friend and advisor, a look of deep concern filling his eyes. He silently looked out over the sea, wondering where the girl of his dreams had gone off to. What if Juvia had been whisked away by the whirlpool after she delivered the final blow to Kyôka with the trident? Or worse…

"Gray!" a female voice cried. "Prince Gray!" Gray's attention turned to Lucy splashing in the shallows nearby, trying to get him to notice her.

"Hey, I know you!" Gray recognized. He knelt down on the sand in front of Lucy and asked, "Where's Juvia? Is she okay?"

"I… I don't know…" Lucy muttered, backing up a little.

Getting back onto his feet, Gray waded into the water after Lucy, with Lyon, Sherry, Chelia, Sting, and Rouge not too far behind. As they reached a large rock poking out of the water, Gray froze, spotting Juvia's unconscious body beside it.

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed, taking Juvia's body into his arms. He gently shook her body in an attempt to wake her, "Juvia, are you okay?"

At that moment, Juvia's eyes slowly fluttered open, seeing the blurry image of her beloved prince until it completely came into view. She wheezed, "Gray…?"

Gray sighed with relief, "That was close. I thought that whirlpool almost had you."

Juvia shrugged, "Well, I'm a mermaid. I can swim through the toughest currents with a quick flip of my fins. What do you expect?"

"Yeah, I know," Gray admitted with a chuckle, as he helped her onto the rock. "And by the way, what you did was amazing. You're beautiful… and pretty tough, too."

Juvia blushed at that comment, "Oh, it was nothing, my darling."

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Sherry asked.

Juvia nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."

Lyon sighed in relief, "Thank goodness…"

Gray smiled, "So… you really are a mermaid. The mermaid of my dreams."

Juvia giggled, "Yeah, that's me. Oh, and by the way, thank you for saving my life."

Gray laughed warmly, running a hand through her long sapphire hair, "My Dad always teased me about having a crush on a mermaid… He'd be so happy to see he was right."

Juvia asked sadly, "But darling, how are we going to make this work? You're a human, I'm a mermaid…"

Gray replied, "I know. But I promise you, Juvia, I'll do whatever it takes to be with you…"

Offering him her fondest smile, Juvia whispered, "I love you, my beloved Gray…"

Gently cupping the back of her neck, Gray slowly brought Juvia's face closer, gently placing his lips on hers. Forgetting about their different worlds, she kissed him back. Obviously, they'd have to give their love everything they had, but if there was one thing that soft, tender kiss told them, it was that they were meant to be. They never cared if they're from different worlds; all that matters is that they were meant for each other.

Unbeknownst to Gray and the others, King Makarov was quietly observing the scene with Natsu and Lucy alongside him, a look of sadness in his eyes. It was a huge surprise to see his youngest daughter in the arms of a human. Not just any human, but a handsome human prince.

Makarov asked Natsu, "She really does love him, doesn't she, Natsu?"

Natsu nodded, "Well, it's like I always say, Your Majesty..." He held up a claw, repeating the quote he never actually said. "Children got to be free to lead their own lives."

Makarov raised an eyebrow at Natsu, "You always say that?"

Natsu grinned sheepishly, "No, but I think it's true."

Makarov was still conflicted. He admitted, "I'm just not sure I'm ready to let her go. She told me a few days before that she's old enough to take care of herself. By the look on her eyes, I can tell she meant it. Do I really have to…?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Lucy assured, putting a fin on his shoulder. "It's not like she's going away forever. You'll know where to find her. Everyone on the ocean will know where to find her. Land and sea are all part of one big world, after all. And we're all a part of it, whether up top or down below."

Makarov began thinking Lucy's words over, and he smiled, "You were right, Lucy. We're all a part of one big world. I suppose that leaves just one problem left."

"And what's that, Your Majesty?" Natsu asked.

Makarov answered with a heavy sigh, "How much I'm going to miss her."

Without another word, the sea king's trident glowed in his hand and encased the ripples of the ocean in a warm golden light, until it reached Juvia. As everyone watched on, Juvia felt a soft, soothing tinkling in her mermaid fins as they gently melted to skin, her tail again changing into a pair of human legs. Before fading away, the light wrapped around the rest of her body, clothing her in a sleeveless, glittering white dress that shimmered in the sunlight like the sea itself.

Instantly, Juvia realized what was going on. She turned a glance to her father, who smiled with a single tear falling down his cheek, with Natsu and Lucy smiling as well. Makarov whispered, "You belong to their world now, Juvia. Take care of yourself… alright?"

Overjoyed, Juvia threw herself onto Gray's arms, the latter lifting her up and spinning her around in circles. The little mermaid-turned human has never been more happier than she had ever been in her life. With the blessing of her father, Juvia was now free to lead her own life the best way she knew how— by sending every moment with her beloved Gray. The two eventually threw themselves into another kiss, one much sweeter and wonderful than the last.

"That was so BEAUTIFUL!" Chelia sobbed beside her cousin Sherry. "It brings tears to my eyes!"

Sherry remarked, "Who would've imagined that Juvia is actually a beautiful mermaid princess?"

"So, Lyon, you still think merpeople are 'nautical nonsense?'" Sting smirked, mimicking Lyon's voice.

"Just admit it!" Rouge added. "Merpeople are real! Just like the mermaid we saw at the wedding ship, and also King Makarov over there!" He gestured to King Makarov at the other corner of the beach.

Lyon crossed his arms and gave an offended 'Hmph', turning his back. Sting, Rouge, Sherry, and Chelia couldn't help but chuckle, before they looked back at the young prince with the beautiful sapphire-haired girl beside him.

"So, what do you say, sweetheart?" Gray asked his lovely girl with a smile. "Will you marry me?"

Juvia giggled, her smile growing even wider, "I thought you'd never ask…"

* * *

Warm, glowing sunlight streamed the cloudless blue sky, flooding over Lamia Scale Town. The kingdom was alive with magic and music, excitement hanging in the air. Villagers of every age flocked onto a large wedding ship, the sea itself sparkling like a million diamonds.

Yet again, the kingdom was eagerly awaiting the wedding of their future king, only this time, the ecstatic prince knew exactly what he was doing. As the ship pulled away from the docks, Gray felt his heart racing. After waiting his whole life long, the day had finally arrived; he was marrying the girl of his dreams, the little mermaid who saved him at the night of the storm.

Of course, the people of Lamia Scale aren't the only ones attending the ceremony. Merfolk and marine life of every age and species emerged from the shimmering sea, smiling and chattering with excitement. Accompanying the sea creatures was Makarov, the king of Fairylantica, and his six other daughters Mirajane, Levy, Erza, Laki, Lisanna, and Cana, accompanied by their respective mermen boyfriends Laxus, Gajeel Redfox, Jellal Fernandez, Erik, Bickslow, and Bacchus Groh. Juvia's elder sisters were anxiously waiting for their younger sister's marriage with Prince Gray, their future brother-in-law from the human world.

"And so, by the power vested in me…" Ooba Babasaama the wedding priest announced. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Before he could move, Gray immediately found his new wife kiss his lips, but it didn't bother him in the least as he kissed her back. The kiss, perfect at it was, didn't last long, before the two were interrupted by Ur bouncing around their feet. Everyone from both land and sea applauded and cheered for the newly-wedded couple. Some people were taking the wedding very enthusiastically, such as Sherry sobbing too hard on Lyon's clothes, and Chelia rubbing it in on the other maids' faces that Gray's bride was indeed a mermaid princess.

Happy spread his wings and lifted Lucy up to the wedding ship so they can say goodbye to Juvia... Well, at least they can visit every now and then. Juvia kissed Lucy on the forehead and patted Happy on the head, wishing them the best of luck before they returned back to the water.

Macao Conbolt the Blue Lobster and Wakaba Mine the Old Fish were also very happy for the newlyweds. Wakaba grinned, "Well, buddy, this is the dawn of a new day for us. Land and sea together for the first time? That was unexpected!"

Macao nodded, "Yeah. I'm really happy for Princess Juvia. She's all grown up. Same thing goes with Natsu, my best friend who's taken care of her. But that's not the only piece of good news. My son, Romeo, is making friends with Wendy!"

"Wendy?" Wakaba asked. "Who's Wendy?"

Macao chuckled, "The Royal Seahorse Announcer. She's dancing with my boy as we speak, right over there." He pointed to a different corner where a small blue lobster named Romeo was happily dancing in the water with Wendy the Seahorse. Should any sea creature on the surface see this, they could only sigh at how cute and adorable those two young kids were together.

Meanwhile, Natsu was sitting on the cake, crying happily for the two newlyweds while holding onto two decorations based on Gray and Juvia. The emotional moment was interrupted by Sol, the castle chef obsessed with Natsu, who attacked with a kitchen knife in hand. The crazed chef chased Natsu across the deck, intent on chopping the salmon crustacean down to size. Grinding to a halt, Natsu desperately looked around for some kind of escape, until a sole rope caught his attention. The rope was holding up a particularly large sail. Flashing Sol his cockiest, most toothy smile, Natsu cuts the rope with a single snip of his claw. Its own weight instantly taking hold, the sail swung from its place, hitting Sol square in the face. The hit was so big that it shattered nearly all of Sol's teeth and knocked him unconscious.

Laughing with success, Natsu leapt off the ship and bowed with accomplishment, receiving amused smiles from Happy and Lucy, "YES! Thank you, thank you…"

Lucy grinned, "I like your style, Natsu. Just like when you handled those eels."

Natsu chuckled, "Yeah. I like your style, too. But you deserve all the credit. After all, you helped Juvia get to that boat…"

Lucy giggled, "Thanks, Natsu. Here's something from me to you… for being so brave."

She then kissed Natsu lightly on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"And once we get back to Fairylantica, maybe we can eat at the 8-Island Sea Diner?" Lucy asked.

Natsu smiled and nodded, "I'd love to." Joining hands, the two sea creatures watched the rest of the celebration.

Happy took notice of this and smiled slyly to himself, " _She loves him…_ " Of course, he wasn't the only one. Back aboard the wedding ship, Juvia observed the scene from the railing. She was glad that Lucy, her best friend, and Natsu, her mentor, were starting to get together.

Juvia watched as her father Makarov rode a rising wave up to meet her. Reaching over the edge of the boat, she locked him in the tightest hug she could manage, not caring about the cool salty water just starting to seep through the fabric of her wedding dress.

"I love you, Daddy," Juvia whispered in his ear, smiling contently as Makarov held her tighter, then an off-screen choir began to sing.

Choir: **_Now we can walk  
Now we can run  
Now we can stay all day in the sun_**

Silently letting her go, Makarov gave his new son-in-law a smile that meant ' _take care of my baby_ ', in which Gray responded with a respectful bow. Makarov sank back into the ocean as Gray gently took Juvia's hand.

 ** _Just you and me…  
And I can be…  
Part of your world!_**

With a wave of his trident, Makarov created a glorious rainbow that stretched across the sky, as the bride and groom waved to their sea life guests. One by one, the merfolk and marine life disappeared back under the surface, but Makarov remained with Natsu and Lucy beside him, wishing Juvia and Gray the best of luck. As the wedding ship rode off, Juvia and Gray kissed one last time – a symbol of land and sea coming together in harmony at last.

 **THE END**


	16. Credits and Ending Song

**Main Cast**

 _Mai Nakahara/Brina Palencia as Juvia Lockser  
Yuichi Nakamura/Newton Pittman as Gray Fullbuster  
Ai Kayano/Tara Platt as Kyôka  
Tetsuya Kakihara/Todd Haberkorn as Natsu Dragneel  
Aya Hirano/Cherami Leigh as Lucy Heartfilia  
Rie Kugimiya/Tia Ballard as Happy  
Shinpachi Tsuji/R. Bruce Elliot as King Makarov  
Yūki Kaji/Jerry Jewell as Lyon Vastia  
Yuka Iguchi/Trina Nishimura as Sherry Blendy  
Yuka Iguchi/Alison Viktorin as Chelia Blendy  
Eiji Sekiguchi/Barry Yandell as Sol  
Satomi Satō/Brittney Karbowski as Wendy Marvell  
Takuma Terashima/Erik Davies as Jackal  
Yutaka Aoyama/Dave Wittenberg as Franmalth  
Ryōko Ono/Monica Rial as Mirajane  
Mariya Ise/Kristi Kang as Levy  
Sayaka Ohara/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Erza  
Ikumi Hayama/Apphia Yu as Laki  
Harumi Sakurai/Carrie Savage as Lisanna  
Eri Kitamura/Jamie Marchi as Cana_

 _Takahiro Sakurai/Michael Jones as Sting Eucliffe_  
 _Kenichi Suzumara/Garrett Storms as Rouge Cheney_  
 _Masafumi Kimura/Leo Fabian as Orga Nanagear_  
 _Masaki Kawanabe/Brian Mathis as Macao Conbolt_  
 _Eiji Sekiguchi/Charlie Campbell as Wakaba Mine_  
 _Daisuke Kishio/Chad Halbrook as Toby Horhorta_  
 _Kyoko Namekawa/Kia Fulton as Sue_  
 _Harumi Sakurai/Vanessa DeSilvio as Araña Webb_  
 _Rie Murakawa/Mikaela Krantz as Beth Vanderwood_  
 _Miki Narahashi/Liza Gonzalez as Risley Law_  
 _Ako Mayama/Juli Erickson as Ooba Babasaama_  
 _and Yui Horie/Jad Saxton as Carla_

 **Ending Song** **  
Part of Your World  
** Sung by Chely Wright

 _Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?  
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?  
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl  
The girl who has everything?_

 _Look at this trove, treasures untold  
How many wonders can one cavern hold?  
Looking around here you'd think  
Sure, she's got everything_

 _I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty  
I've got woozits and whatzits galore  
You want thingamabobs? I've got 20  
But who cares? No big deal, I want more_

 _I wanna be, where the people are  
I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancing  
Walking around on those  
What do you call 'em? Oh, feet_

 _Flipping your fins you don't get too far  
Legs are required for jumping, dancing  
Strolling along down the  
What's that word again? Street_

 _Up where they walk, up where they run  
Up where they stay all day in the sun  
Wandering free, wish I could be  
Part of that world_

 _What would I give if I could live  
Out of these waters?  
What would I pay to spend a day  
Warm on the sand?_

 _Bet you on land, they understand  
That they don't reprimand their daughters  
Bright young women, sick of swimming  
Ready to stand_

 _I'm ready to know, what the people know  
Ask 'em my questions and get some answers  
What's a fire and why does it?  
What's the word? Burn_

 _When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love?  
Love to explore the shore up above?  
Out of the sea, wish I could be  
Part of that world_

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
** _Alright, another successful Fairy Tail Disney Parody to boot! It took me a lot of days to finish up, but it's finally done. For more Fairy Tail Disney Parodies, please check out my other stories, like Romeoladdin or Beauty and the Lightning Beast._

 _Or perhaps you'd like something new coming up? In that case, stay tuned for the upcoming Disney Parody based on the Lion King, "Natsu the Dragon King", starring Natsu Dragneel as Simba. And for those who are anxiously waiting for Fairy Tail Pixar Parodies, I'm considering the first one to be Toy Story-based._

 _I hope you all had a wonderful time with this story. This is TheSavageMan100, singing out. Peace!_


End file.
